Eu prefiro a de algodão.

I prefer the cotton one.

Breakdown of Eu prefiro a de algodão.

• eu: I
• preferir: to prefer
• o algodão: the cotton
• a de: that of

Questions & Answers about Eu prefiro a de algodão.

Why is the subject Eu there? Don’t Portuguese verbs already show who the subject is?

Portuguese is a “pro‑drop” language, so the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending shows the person:

• (Eu) prefiro – I prefer
• (Tu) preferes – you prefer (singular, informal)
• (Ele/Ela) prefere – he/she prefers

So Eu prefiro a de algodão could also be just Prefiro a de algodão.

Including Eu:

• adds emphasis (“I prefer the cotton one”)
• can make the sentence clearer in isolation or in contrast (e.g. Eu prefiro a de algodão, mas ele prefere a de lã – I prefer the cotton one, but he prefers the wool one).

Why is it prefiro and not something like prefere?

Preferir (to prefer) is irregular in the present tense. In European Portuguese:

• Eu prefiro – I prefer
• Tu preferes – you prefer (singular, informal)
• Ele / Ela / Você prefere – he / she / you (formal) prefers
• Nós preferimos – we prefer
• Vocês preferem – you (plural) prefer
• Eles / Elas preferem – they prefer

In Eu prefiro a de algodão, prefiro is the 1st person singular form, agreeing with eu (I).