Preferieren

Preferieren is a German verb meaning to prefer or to have a preference for something over another option. It is transitive and takes a direct object in the accusative. The verb is a loanword from French préférer, via Latin praeferre, and in German it is commonly written preferieren; präferieren is also encountered in some stylistic or technical contexts.

In everyday speech, the verb be vorzugen or be vorziehen is more common for expressing a general preference. Preferieren tends to appear in formal, business, or written language, especially when making a deliberate or analytical comparison between options. Nouns related to the concept include Präferenz (neutral or technical) and Bevorzugung (the act of preferring).

Conjugation and usage notes: as an -ieren verb, preferieren follows the standard German pattern in the present tense, for example: ich preferiere, du preferierst, er preferiert, wir preferieren, ihr preferiert, sie preferieren. The past tenses are regular, with the participle preferiert and the perfect form hat preferiert. Use of preferieren is common in contexts such as surveys, product comparisons, or formal recommendations, while be vorzugen or be vorziehen may be chosen for everyday speech.

Examples: Ich preferiere Kaffee gegenüber Tee. Wir bevorzugen Rot gegenüber Blau. Viele Menschen sagen auch: Ich bevorzuge Kaffee; dies remains a natural alternative in colloquial German.

See also: Präferenz, Bevorzugung, bevorzugen.