Learn Italian: Preferisco questi quadri. - I prefer these paintings.

Preferire (to prefer) is part of a special group of -ire verbs. For most subjects (I, you, he/she, they), you must insert the letters -isc- between the root of the verb (prefer-) and the ending (-o). That is why "I prefer" becomes preferisco.

How is the -sco in preferisco pronounced?

It is pronounced with a hard "sk" sound, similar to the English word "score". In Italian, sc makes a hard sound when followed by a, o, or u. But watch out: in the "you" form (preferisci), the sc is followed by an i, so it makes a soft "sh" sound instead!

Why is "these" translated as questi and not queste?

In Italian, demonstrative adjectives like "this" and "these" must match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Quadri is a masculine plural noun, so we must use the masculine plural form for "these", which is questi.

What is the singular form of quadri?