Vostè prefereix un abric blau o una faldilla negra per a l'hivern?

Do you prefer a blue coat or a black skirt for winter?

Breakdown of Vostè prefereix un abric blau o una faldilla negra per a l'hivern?

• un: a
• vostè: you
• o: or
• preferir: to prefer

Questions & Answers about Vostè prefereix un abric blau o una faldilla negra per a l'hivern?

Why does the sentence use vostè instead of tu?

Vostè is the formal way to say you in Catalan, similar to usted in Spanish. It is used for politeness, distance, or in more formal situations.

So:

• tu = informal you
• vostè = formal you

In this sentence, the speaker is addressing someone politely.

Why is it prefereix and not something like preferes or prefereixes?

Because vostè takes the third person singular verb form in Catalan.

So although vostè means you, the verb agrees as if it were he/she:

• tu prefereixes = you prefer (informal)
• vostè prefereix = you prefer (formal)
• ell/ella prefereix = he/she prefers

This is very common in Catalan formal speech.

What does un abric blau o una faldilla negra show about gender in Catalan?