Prefiero jugo de naranja sin azúcar añadido.

I prefer orange juice without added sugar.

Breakdown of Prefiero jugo de naranja sin azúcar añadido.

• yo: I
• de: of
• preferir: to prefer
• sin: without
• el jugo: the juice
• la naranja: the orange
• el azúcar: the sugar
• añadido: added

Questions & Answers about Prefiero jugo de naranja sin azúcar añadido.

Why is there no article before jugo de naranja? Could I say “Prefiero el jugo de naranja”?

Both are possible, but they sound slightly different.

• Prefiero jugo de naranja sin azúcar añadido.
  → More general: “I prefer orange juice (as a type of drink) with no added sugar.”
  No article is often used when talking about things in general, especially food/drink in a generic way.

• Prefiero el jugo de naranja sin azúcar añadido.
  → Can sound more specific: “I prefer the orange juice without added sugar,” for example in a situation where you’re choosing between different options on a menu or at a table.

In everyday speech, especially when talking about what you like in general, the version without the article (jugo de naranja) is very common and perfectly natural.

Why is it prefiero and not me prefiero?

In Spanish, preferir is a normal (non-reflexive) verb:

• Preferir = “to prefer”

You just conjugate it like any other verb and do not add me:

• Yo prefiero = I prefer
• Tú prefieres = You prefer
• Él/Ella prefiere = He/She prefers
• Nosotros preferimos
• Ustedes/Ellos prefieren

Me prefiero would literally mean “I prefer myself,” which is not what you want here and sounds wrong in this context.

What is special about the verb preferir? How is prefiero formed?

Preferir is a stem‑changing verb (e → ie) in the present tense:

• Infinitive: preferir
• Stem: prefer-
• In some forms, e → ie: preferir → prefier-

Present tense:

• yo prefiero
• tú prefieres
• él / ella / usted prefiere
• nosotros / nosotras preferimos (no stem change)
• ustedes / ellos / ellas prefieren

So prefiero is just the yo (I) form in the present tense.

Why can Spanish drop the subject yo in Prefiero jugo de naranja…?

In Spanish, the verb ending already shows who the subject is, so the subject pronoun is often omitted:

• Prefiero already tells us “I prefer” because of the -o ending.
• Prefieres clearly means “you prefer.”
• Prefiere = “he/she/you (formal) prefer.”

You can say Yo prefiero jugo de naranja…, but normally you only add yo:

• for emphasis: Yo prefiero jugo de naranja (not someone else)
• for contrast: Yo prefiero jugo de naranja, pero ella prefiere agua.

Why is it jugo de naranja and not zumo de naranja?

This is a regional difference:

• In most of Latin America: jugo de naranja = orange juice
• In Spain: zumo de naranja is the normal everyday phrase.

Both are correct Spanish, but if you’re focusing on Latin American Spanish, use jugo de naranja.

Could I say “Prefiero jugo de naranja sin azúcar” and leave out añadido?

Yes, you can, and it’s very common.

• sin azúcar = “without sugar”
  → Simple, can mean there is no sugar at all (no natural or added), or just “not sweetened with sugar,” depending on context.

• sin azúcar añadido = “with no added sugar”
  → More precise: the drink can still contain natural sugar (for example, from the orange), but no extra sugar has been added.

So:

• If you just want “no sugar,” say sin azúcar.
• If you want to be clear it has only the fruit’s natural sugar, say sin azúcar añadido.

Why is it azúcar añadido and not azúcar añadida? Isn’t azúcar feminine?

Azúcar is a special noun; it can be masculine or feminine, but:

• It most often behaves as masculine in standard usage:
  • el azúcar blanco
  • mucho azúcar
  • azúcar refinado

Because of that, the adjective or participle is often put in masculine singular:

• azúcar añadido (added sugar)
• azúcar refinado (refined sugar)

Many speakers, especially in everyday speech, also say:

• el azúcar blanca / el azúcar añadida, treating it as feminine.

Both patterns exist, but masculine agreement (azúcar añadido) is widely accepted and very common in neutral or formal Spanish.

What exactly is añadido here? Is it a verb?

Añadido is the past participle of the verb añadir (“to add”):

• añadir → añadido = “added”

In this sentence, it’s functioning as an adjective describing azúcar:

• azúcar añadido = “added sugar”

So sin azúcar añadido literally means “without sugar added”, i.e., “with no added sugar.”

Could I use another word instead of añadido, like agregado?

Yes, you may hear other words, especially in Latin America:

• sin azúcar añadido
• sin azúcar agregada
• sin azúcar extra
• sin azúcar refinado (slightly different idea: “no refined sugar”)

Añadido and agregado are often very close in meaning. For packaging and labels, sin azúcar añadido is the most standard, widely understood phrasing.

Can I change the word order and say “Prefiero jugo de naranja sin añadido azúcar”?

No. That word order is incorrect in Spanish.

The normal pattern is:

• noun + adjective/participle:
  • azúcar añadido
  • pan integral, café descafeinado

So you need:

• sin azúcar añadido
  not sin añadido azúcar.

The phrase sin azúcar añadido acts like one unit describing the juice.

If I want to talk about more than one juice, how do I make this plural?

You pluralize the noun (jugo) and usually leave azúcar and añadido in the singular, because sugar is treated as an uncountable mass:

• Prefiero jugos de naranja sin azúcar añadido.
  = “I prefer orange juices (types/brands) with no added sugar.”

You could also be more natural in many contexts with something like:

• Prefiero los jugos de naranja sin azúcar añadido.
  = “I prefer orange juices (the ones) without added sugar.”

How do you pronounce the words in this sentence, and where is the stress?

Approximate pronunciation (Latin American):

• Prefiero → pre-FYEH-ro
  
  • Stress on -fie- (the ie sounds like “yeh”)
• jugo → HOO-go
  
  • Initial j = English h (as in “house”)
• de → deh
• naranja → nah-RAN-hah
  
  • Stress on -ran-
• sin → seen
• azúcar → ah-SOO-kar
  
  • Stress on -zú- (marked by the accent)
• añadido → ah-nyah-DEE-do
  
  • ñ like “ny” in “canyon”
  • Stress on -di-

So the rhythm is:
Pre-FIE-ro HOO-go de na-RAN-ja sin a-ZÚ-kar a-nya-DI-do.