preferoivat

Preferoivat is a Finnish verb form meaning “they prefer.” It is the third-person plural present indicative of the verb preferoida, whose infinitive form is preferoida.

Etymology and status: preferoida is a loanword from other European languages, with cognates such as Italian preferire, French préférer, and English to prefer. The exact path into Finnish is not always documented, but the form is well established in the modern Finnish lexicon and is used in formal or written contexts as well as in everyday language.

Usage: In everyday Finnish, speakers often express preference with words like mieluummin or with constructions such as pitää jostakin mieluummin than using preferoida. Preferoida tends to appear more in formal, technical, or written language. Example: He preferoivat mieluummin laadukasta kahvia kuin halpaa teetä.

Morphology: preferoida belongs to the -oida class of Finnish verbs. The present tense 3rd person plural form is preferoivat, created by adding the suffix -vat to the stem preferoi-. The verb’s infinitive is preferoida, and its participles and other non-finite forms follow the usual -oida patterns in Finnish.

See also: mieluummin, pitää mieluummin, suositumpi. Note that preferoida is a loanword, and speakers may choose various ways to express preference depending on formality and register.