The preterite of preferir is used to express when you preferred something at a specific moment in the past. For example, you might say “I preferred the first option when making the decision,” indicating a choice made at a particular time.

This is an e to i stem-changing verb, where the stem vowel changes from ‘e’ to ‘i’ in the third person singular and plural forms of the preterite.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Preferir (to prefer) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of preferir expresses a specific choice or preference made in the past.

Preferred: Indicates making a specific choice, for example Preferí quedarme en casa (I preferred to stay home). Also used for decisions, as in Prefirió no comentar sobre el asunto (He/she preferred not to comment on the matter).

Chose: Describes making a choice between options, for example Prefirieron el restaurante italiano (They preferred/chose the Italian restaurant).

Examples

Examples of Preferir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Preferí quedarme en casa. (I preferred to stay home.)

¿Preferiste el pescado o la carne? (Did you prefer the fish or the meat?)

Ella prefirió no comentar. (She preferred not to comment.)

Preferimos viajar en tren. (We preferred to travel by train.)

Los invitados prefirieron el vino tinto. (The guests preferred red wine.)

Preferí estudiar solo. (I preferred to study alone.)

¿Por qué preferiste no venir? (Why did you prefer not to come?)

El cliente prefirió pagar en efectivo. (The customer preferred to pay in cash.)

Preferimos caminar que tomar un taxi. (We preferred to walk rather than take a taxi.)

Los estudiantes prefirieron el examen oral. (The students preferred the oral exam.)

Preferí no decir nada. (I preferred not to say anything.)

¿Preferiste la película antigua? (Did you prefer the old movie?)

Mi hermana prefirió el vestido azul. (My sister preferred the blue dress.)

Preferimos cenar temprano. (We preferred to have dinner early.)

Los atletas prefirieron entrenar por la mañana. (The athletes preferred to train in the morning.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Preferir (to prefer) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.