Breakdown of Prefiero enviar el documento por correo electrónico.
Questions & Answers about Prefiero enviar el documento por correo electrónico.
Why does the sentence start with Prefiero and not Yo prefiero?
In Spanish, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.
- Prefiero = I prefer
- The -o ending tells you it is I
So Prefiero enviar el documento... is completely natural.
You could say Yo prefiero..., but that usually adds emphasis or contrast, for example:
- Yo prefiero enviar el documento, no imprimirlo.
= I prefer to send the document, not print it.
Why is it prefiero and not prefero?
Because preferir is a stem-changing verb. In the present tense, the e in the stem changes to ie in most forms.
So:
This is a very common pattern in Spanish.
The infinitive is preferir, but the yo form is prefiero.
Why is enviar left in the infinitive after prefiero?
Why is it el documento and not just documento?
Spanish often uses the definite article more regularly than English.
- el documento = the document
In this sentence, it refers to a specific document, so el is natural.
If you said un documento, that would mean a document, which is less specific.
Compare:
- Prefiero enviar el documento = I prefer to send the document
- Prefiero enviar un documento = I prefer to send a document
Why does the sentence use por in por correo electrónico?
What is the difference between correo and correo electrónico?
Correo by itself usually means mail/post in a general or traditional sense.
- correo = mail/post
- correo electrónico = email
So:
- por correo = by post / by mail
- por correo electrónico = by email
In everyday Spanish, people also often shorten correo electrónico to just email or correo, depending on context, but correo electrónico is the full, clear version.
Could I also say Prefiero mandar el documento por correo electrónico?
Could I say a través de correo electrónico instead of por correo electrónico?
You would normally say por correo electrónico.
A través de means through or by means of, but with email, por correo electrónico is the standard and most natural expression.
So:
- natural: enviar el documento por correo electrónico
- less natural here: enviar el documento a través de correo electrónico
If you do use a través de, you would more naturally say:
- a través del correo electrónico
But even then, por correo electrónico is still the most common choice.
Why is the word order Prefiero enviar el documento... and not Prefiero el documento enviar...?
Because in Spanish, when one verb is followed by an infinitive, the infinitive usually comes directly after the first verb.
So the structure is:
- Prefiero + infinitive + object
- Prefiero enviar el documento
This is the normal order.
Prefiero el documento enviar sounds incorrect because el documento interrupts the verb pattern in an unnatural way.
Is correo electrónico masculine because of electrónico?
No. It is masculine because the main noun is correo, which is masculine: el correo.
The adjective electrónico must agree with correo, so it also appears in the masculine singular form:
- el correo electrónico
If the noun were feminine, the adjective would change too. For example:
- la dirección electrónica
So the gender comes from the noun, not from the adjective.
How would this sound in Spain compared with Latin America?
The sentence is natural in both Spain and Latin America.
In Spain, correo electrónico is fully standard, though people also say email in casual speech.
A few possible regional differences:
- Spain: mandar is very common for send
- Latin America: enviar is also very common everywhere
- Casual speech in many places: por email may be heard instead of por correo electrónico
But your original sentence is correct and clear in Spain.
How would I turn this into a question?
You can simply raise your intonation in speech, or use question marks in writing:
- ¿Prefieres enviar el documento por correo electrónico?
= Do you prefer to send the document by email?
Notice that for you, the verb changes:
- prefieres = you prefer
If you wanted to ask Do I prefer to send the document by email?, that would be unusual unless you were thinking aloud:
- ¿Prefiero enviar el documento por correo electrónico?
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning SpanishMaster Spanish — from Prefiero enviar el documento por correo electrónico to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions