Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Prefiero una lisa para la entrevista.

The -o ending is the normal ending for yo in the present tense:
- hablar → hablo
- comer → como
- vivir → vivo
- preferir → prefiero
Preferir is irregular because the stem changes:
- preferir → prefier- in most forms:
  - yo prefiero
  - tú prefieres
  - él/ella prefiere
  - ellos/ellas prefieren
- But:
  - nosotros preferimos
  - vosotros preferís (no stem change)

You don’t need to say yo prefiero unless you want to emphasise I; prefiero alone is enough.

Why is it prefiero and not me prefiero, like me gusta?

Because preferir works like English “to prefer”, not like gustar.

Preferir is a normal transitive verb:
- Prefiero una lisa. = I prefer a plain one.
- Prefiero café. = I prefer coffee.
Gustar is structured differently; it literally means “to be pleasing”:
- Me gusta el café. = Coffee pleases me.
- El café is the grammatical subject; me is an indirect object.

So with preferir, you do not add me in normal sentences:

✅ Prefiero una lisa.
❌ Me prefiero una lisa. (would sound like “I prefer myself a plain one”, wrong in Spanish)

What exactly does una lisa mean here? Is lisa a noun or an adjective?

Lisa is an adjective meaning “plain / without a pattern / smooth”.

In this sentence, the noun is understood from context and has been dropped:

Full version: Prefiero una camisa lisa para la entrevista.
Shortened: Prefiero una lisa para la entrevista.

So una lisa literally means “a plain one”, where “one” stands for something like camisa (shirt), blusa (blouse), corbata (tie), etc., depending on the context of the conversation.

Why is lisa feminine, and how do I know what noun is being left out?

Adjectives in Spanish agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to, even when the noun is omitted.

Lisa = feminine, singular.
Una is also feminine, singular.

That tells you that the missing noun is feminine singular, e.g.:

una camisa lisa (a plain shirt)
una blusa lisa (a plain blouse)
una corbata lisa (a plain tie)

If the noun were masculine, you’d say:

un liso (e.g. un jersey liso, a plain jumper)
unos lisos (masculine plural)
unas lisas (feminine plural)

You know which noun is being left out from the surrounding context in the conversation.

Can I drop una and just say Prefiero lisa para la entrevista?

Normally, no. That sounds wrong in this context.

Prefiero una lisa = I prefer a plain one (one specific item).
Prefiero lisa would be interpreted more like “I prefer ‘plain’ (as a concept)”, not “a plain one”.

When you use an adjective as a noun referring to one countable object, you normally need an article:

Prefiero una roja. = I prefer a red one.
Prefiero el azul. = I prefer the blue one.

So here you should keep una:

✅ Prefiero una lisa para la entrevista.
❌ Prefiero lisa para la entrevista.

Could I instead say Prefiero una camisa lisa para la entrevista? Is that more natural?

Yes, that sentence is completely natural and probably clearer on its own:

Prefiero una camisa lisa para la entrevista.
= I prefer a plain shirt for the interview.

Using una lisa is very common when:

the noun (e.g. camisa) has just been mentioned, or
it’s obvious from the situation (you’re in a clothes shop, holding shirts).

If the sentence appears alone with no context, una camisa lisa is safer and less ambiguous.

What’s the difference between lisa, sencilla, and simple when talking about clothes?

All three can appear with clothes, but they don’t mean exactly the same:

lisa
- Main idea: no pattern / no print, visually plain.
- Una camisa lisa = a shirt without stripes, checks, flowers, logos, etc.
sencilla
- Main idea: simple, not fancy, not elaborate.
- Una camisa sencilla = a modest shirt, not flashy; it may still have a small pattern.
simple
- Very close to sencilla, often interchangeable in clothes.
- In other contexts simple can mean “simple-minded”, so sencilla sounds slightly softer for people, but for clothes both are fine.

For a job interview in Spain, una camisa lisa suggests something clean and plain (usually more formal), whereas sencilla focuses more on it not being extravagant.

Why is it para la entrevista and not por la entrevista?

Because para expresses purpose or goal here:

para la entrevista = for the interview, i.e. with the interview as the purpose.

Typical uses:

Estudio para el examen. = I study for the exam (goal).
Me visto bien para la entrevista. = I dress well for the interview (purpose).

Por usually expresses cause, reason, or exchange:

Estoy nervioso por la entrevista. = I’m nervous because of the interview.
Lo hice por ti. = I did it because of / for you.

So with clothes chosen with the interview in mind, you want para, not por.

Why do we say la entrevista with la instead of just para entrevista?

In Spanish, you almost always need an article before a singular countable noun, especially for specific events:

✅ para la entrevista = for the (specific) interview
❌ para entrevista (unnatural)

La is used because both speaker and listener know which interview is being referred to (e.g. the job interview tomorrow).

You could say:

para una entrevista = for an interview (any interview, non-specific) but you still need the article una.

So in this sentence la entrevista is understood as a specific, known interview.

If I wanted to say “I would prefer a plain one for the interview”, how would the sentence change?

You’d normally use the conditional of preferir:

Preferiría una lisa para la entrevista.

Nuance:

Prefiero una lisa… = I prefer a plain one (direct, present preference).
Preferiría una lisa… = I would prefer a plain one (more tentative/polite).

Another polite option:

Me gustaría más una lisa para la entrevista.
= I’d like a plain one more for the interview.