Meaning
to prefer
In a sentence
Preferisco il tè al caffè la mattina.
I prefer tea to coffee in the morning.
Tu preferisci restare a casa stasera?
Do you prefer to stay home tonight?
Abbiamo preferito andare a piedi ieri sera.
We preferred to go on foot last night.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| preferire | infinitive |
| preferiamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| preferisco | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| preferite | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| preferisci | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| preferiscono | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| preferisce | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| preferivamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| preferivo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| preferivate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| preferivi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| preferivano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| preferiva | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| preferimmo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| preferii | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| preferiste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| preferisti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| preferirono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| preferì | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| preferiremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| preferirò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| preferirete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| preferirai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| preferiranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| preferirà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| preferiamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| preferisca | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| preferiate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| preferisca | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| preferiscano | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| preferisca | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| preferissimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| preferissi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| preferiste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| preferissi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| preferissero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| preferisse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| preferiremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| preferirei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| preferireste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| preferiresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| preferirebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| preferirebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| preferiamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| preferite | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| preferisci | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| preferendo | gerund |
| preferito | past · participle |
Usage notes
- Use 'preferire' for general preferences; 'piacere di più' for likes/dislikes in comparisons.
- Takes 'avere' as auxiliary in compound tenses (e.g., 'ho preferito').
- Followed by infinitive or 'che' + subjunctive (e.g., 'preferisco che tu venga').