The Spanish verb preferir (to prefer) is semi-regular since the stem changes in some forms of El Presente, but it has regular ‑ir group endings:
| yo | prefiero |
| tú | prefieres |
| él / ella / Ud. | prefiere |
| nosotros / nosotras | preferimos |
| vosotros / vosotras | preferís |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | prefieren |
Notice how for all three groups, the first vowel -e- in the stem becomes -ie- except for the nosotros and vosotros forms.
Look at and listen to these examples:
Yo prefiero comer pescado en vez de carne.
I prefer to eat fish rather than meat.
¿Tú prefieres ir en tren o en avión?
Do you prefer going by train or plane?
Ella prefiere quedarse en casa.
She prefers to stay at home.
Nosotros preferimos ir al campo otro día.
We prefer going to the countryside another day.
¿Vosotros preferís ir a México o Panamá?
Do you prefer going to Mexico or Panama?
Ellos prefieren ir al parque que al centro comercial.
They prefer to go to the park than to the mall.
List of Common Spanish stem-changing (e > ie) verbs in the present tense
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Examples and resources
Nosotros preferimos ir al campo otro día.
We prefer going to the countryside another day.
¿Tú prefieres ir en tren o en avión?
Do you prefer going by train or plane?
Yo prefiero comer pescado en vez de carne.
I prefer to eat fish rather than meat.
Ellos prefieren ir al parque que al centro comercial.
They prefer to go to the park than to the mall.
¿Vosotros preferís ir a México o Panamá?
Do you prefer going to Mexico or Panama?
Ella prefiere quedarse en casa.
She prefers to stay at home.
William
Kwiziq community member
11 August 2018
1 reply
Is the vosotros conjugation irregular since it does not end in eís?
Silvia
Kwiziq language super star
12 August 2018
12/08/18