Questions & Answers about Sie bevorzugen es, abends zu duschen.
Why is es used in this sentence?
It acts as a placeholder (a Korrelat) for the infinitive clause abends zu duschen. Verbs expressing a preference or feeling, like bevorzugen (to prefer), lieben (to love), or hassen (to hate), generally use es in the main clause to hold the spot of the direct object when the actual "thing" being preferred comes later as a full phrase.
Can I just leave out the es and say Sie bevorzugen, abends zu duschen?
While you might hear native speakers drop it occasionally in fast, casual speech, keeping the es is considered standard grammar and sounds much more natural with the verb bevorzugen.
Is the comma strictly required here?
Yes, absolutely. German comma rules for zu + infinitive clauses can sometimes be flexible, but a comma is strictly required whenever the main clause contains a placeholder word like es pointing forward to that infinitive phrase.
Why use abends instead of am Abend?
Both translate to "in the evening", but abends (with a lowercase a and an -s) is an adverb implying a recurring habit or routine ("in the evenings"). Since the sentence describes a general preference for a daily routine, abends is the most natural fit.