preferivo

Preferivo is the first-person singular form of the Italian verb preferire in the imperfect (imperfetto) tense, meaning “I used to prefer” or “I was preferring.” The imperfect describes past actions that were habitual, ongoing, or set the scene in the past, rather than actions at a specific moment.

Conjugation and usage: io preferivo, tu preferivi, lui/lei preferiva, noi preferivamo, voi preferivate, loro preferivano. In the present tense, preferire forms normally include an isc- in many forms (preferisco, preferisci, preferisce, preferiamo, preferite, preferiscono), but in the imperfect there is no isc-: preferivo, preferivi, preferiva, preferivamo, preferivate, preferivano.

Examples: Da ragazzo, preferivo il tè al caffè. Non mi piaceva guardare film d’azione; preferivo leggere. In addition to expressing habitual past preferences, the imperfect can appear in narration to set the background: “Preferivo restare a casa quella sera.” For “I would prefer,” Italian uses the conditional form preferirei rather than the imperfect.

Etymology: preferire derives from Latin praeferre, from prae- “before” + ferre “to bear, carry,” originally meaning “to carry before” or “to set before,” hence to favor one option over another.

See also: preferire, Italian verb conjugation, imperfect tense, present tense of preferire.