Eu prefiro a sopa sem pimenta.

I

Breakdown of Eu prefiro a sopa sem pimenta.

• a sopa: the soup
• preferir: to prefer
• sem: without

Questions & Answers about Eu prefiro a sopa sem pimenta.

Do I have to say Eu, or can I just say Prefiro a sopa sem pimenta?

You can absolutely drop eu.

In Brazilian Portuguese, subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb already makes the subject clear. So:

• Eu prefiro a sopa sem pimenta.
• Prefiro a sopa sem pimenta.

Both are natural.

Including eu can add:

• emphasis: I prefer the soup without pepper.
• contrast: I prefer it, but someone else may not.

Why is it prefiro and not preferir?

Because prefiro is the conjugated form of the verb preferir for I in the present tense.

• preferir = to prefer
• eu prefiro = I prefer

A few present-tense forms are:

• eu prefiro
• você prefere
• ele/ela prefere
• nós preferimos
• vocês preferem
• eles/elas preferem

So prefiro matches the subject eu.

Why is there an a before sopa?