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préférer

prefer

verb preh-feh-REH Common

Origin: From Latin praeferre (to carry before, prefer).

Usage Note

Préférer is an -er verb with an accent change: the é in the second-to-last syllable becomes è before a silent ending — je préfère, tu préfères. It takes either an infinitive (je préfère marcher) or a noun directly. The noun une préférence and adjective préféré (favourite) are immediate derivatives that learners can build on right away.

Examples

"Je préfère le thé au café."

Natural Translation

I prefer tea to coffee.

Literal Translation

I prefer the tea to-the coffee.

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