preferirían

Preferirían is the form of the Spanish verb preferir in the conditional mood for the third person plural (ellos, ellas, ustedes). It translates to “they would prefer” or “you all would prefer.” The conditional is used to express hypothetical preferences, to soften statements, or to make polite offers or questions.

Formation: Preferir in the conditional takes the infinitive as a base and adds the endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. Thus the full set includes preferiría, preferirías, preferiría, preferiríamos, preferiríais, preferirían. The form preferirían corresponds to the third person plural. Unlike the present tense, which involves a stem change (e -> i) for preferir, the conditional uses the infinitive as the base and does not require a stem change in this tense.

Usage: Preferirían is commonly used to express what someone would rather do under certain circumstances or to propose options politely. It can also appear in si-clauses to describe hypothetical preferences.

Examples:

- Ellos preferirían quedarse en casa esta noche.

- ¿Preferirían comer ahora o más tarde?

- Si tuvieran más tiempo, preferirían viajar.

See also: preferir, conditional mood, Spanish verb conjugation, stem-changing verbs.