Prefiero pagar en efectivo cuando compro fruta en el mercado.

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Breakdown of Prefiero pagar en efectivo cuando compro fruta en el mercado.

• comprar: to buy
• cuando: when
• preferir: to prefer

Questions & Answers about Prefiero pagar en efectivo cuando compro fruta en el mercado.

Why is prefiero used instead of preferir?

Because prefiero is the 1st-person singular present-tense conjugation of preferir (yo prefiero = “I prefer”). After yo, Spanish typically drops the subject pronoun, so Prefiero alone already means “I prefer.”

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Is preferir an irregular verb? Why does it change to prefiero (e → ie)?

Yes. Preferir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie) in most present-tense forms:

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

So the e in the stem changes to ie in prefiero.

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Why does Spanish use pagar (infinitive) after prefiero?

After verbs of preference like preferir, Spanish commonly uses infinitive when the subject stays the same:

• Prefiero pagar... (I prefer to pay...) If the subject changes, you often use que + subjunctive:
• Prefiero que pagues en efectivo. (I prefer that you pay in cash.)

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