préféré

Préféré is a French adjective and past participle used to designate something that is chosen before others as more desirable or liked. As an adjective, it agrees in gender and number: masculin sing préferé; féminin sing préférée; pluriels préférés (masc) and préférées (fem). As a verb form, préférer is the verb meaning to prefer; its past participle is préféré, used in the passé composé as j’ai préféré, tu as préféré, il a préféré, etc. The word also functions as a noun in the masculine form un préféré to refer to something or someone that is favored, with préférée used for the feminine.

Etymology information: préférer comes from Old French preferer, from Latin praeferre “to carry before” (prae- ‘before’ + ferre ‘to bear’). The current form préféré reflects the participial past with the suffix -é.

Usage notes: préféré is commonly used to express personal preference or a ranking among options, for example to say “mon livre préféré” (my favorite book) or “c’était mon film préféré.” When describing a habit or action, the verb préférer is used: “Elle préfère le thé au café.” The form must agree with the noun it modifies in gender and number.

Differences from related terms: préférence is the noun meaning “preference” or “inclination.” favori is often used similarly to “favorite,” but can carry a slightly broader sense of a preferred option within a group (and its feminine plural is favorites). Preferred or favorite can be expressed with either préférer or préféreriez depending on tense and mood.

Examples: “C’est mon auteur préféré.” “J’ai préféré rester à la maison.” “Ce sont mes chaussures préférées.”