Prefiero freír la cebolla con poco aceite.

I prefer to fry the onion with little oil.

Breakdown of Prefiero freír la cebolla con poco aceite.

• yo: I
• con: with
• preferir: to prefer
• poco: little

Questions & Answers about Prefiero freír la cebolla con poco aceite.

Why does freír have an accent, and how is it pronounced in Spain?

The accent marks a hiatus and the stressed syllable: fre-ÍR (two syllables), not one. In Spain it’s pronounced roughly “fre-EER” [fɾeˈiɾ]. Writing it without the accent (freir) is incorrect in standard spelling.

Is freír irregular? Which common forms should I know?

Yes. Key forms:

• Present: yo frío, tú fríes, él/ella fríe, nosotros freímos, vosotros freís, ellos fríen.
• Gerund: friendo.
• Past participles: frito and freído (both are correct; frito is far more common, especially as an adjective: patatas fritas, huevo frito).

Why is it Prefiero freír and not “Prefiero to fry” or “Prefiero a freír”?

In Spanish, preferir is followed directly by a bare infinitive: Prefiero freír. You don’t add a preposition. Use preferir X a Y only when explicitly comparing two options (e.g., Prefiero freír la cebolla a hervirla).

Do I need the personal a before la cebolla?