Breakdown of Spesso preferiscono dormire che lavorare.
lavorare
to work
dormire
to sleep
spesso
often
preferire
to prefer
che
than (in comparisons)
Questions & Answers about Spesso preferiscono dormire che lavorare.
Why do we use che here instead of di to say 'to' or 'than'?
When you are comparing two verbs (like dormire and lavorare), you must use che. Even though English says 'prefer sleeping to working', Italian uses the comparative che to link the two actions.
Why is the verb conjugated as preferiscono instead of just 'preferono'?
The verb preferire (to prefer) belongs to a special group of verbs that insert -isc- before the ending in the present tense. This happens in the 'I', 'you', 'he/she', and 'they' forms, which is why 'they prefer' is preferiscono.
The English translation says 'sleeping' and 'working'. Why does Italian use the infinitive forms dormire and lavorare?
When referring to an activity in general, English usually uses the '-ing' form, but Italian uses the infinitive (the dictionary form). You shouldn't use the Italian '-ndo' form for this.
Can spesso go somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes, Italian word order for adverbs of frequency is flexible. You could also say Preferiscono spesso dormire che lavorare or even put spesso at the very end. Putting it at the beginning just adds a little emphasis.
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