prefiro

Prefiro is the first-person singular present indicative form of the Portuguese verb preferir, meaning "I prefer." It is used to express personal choice or a stated preference between two or more options, and it can govern nouns, adjectives, or infinitive clauses.

Etymology and morphology: preferir derives from Latin praeferre, from prae- "before" and ferre "to bear" or "to carry." In the present tense, preferir is stem-changing and irregular in some forms; the sequence for the present indicative is eu prefiro, tu preferes, ele prefere, nós preferimos, vós preferís, eles preferem. The first-person form eu prefiro contains an i insertion characteristic of many preferir-conjugations.

Usage and constructions: prefiro is commonly followed by another noun phrase or by an infinitive clause to express preference for an action. Examples include: "Eu prefiro chá ao café" (I prefer tea to coffee), "Eu prefiro ficar em casa" (I prefer to stay at home), and "Eu prefiro não responder" (I’d rather not answer). For comparisons, the phrase "do que" can be used: "Eu prefiro chá do que café."

Geographic and stylistic notes: Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese use prefiro in the same way, with minor regional stylistic differences in informal speech. See also: preferir, comparação.