Learn Spanish (Latin America): Yo prefiero la idea nueva.

Preferir (to prefer) is a stem-changing verb, which is the focus of this lesson. The e in the stem changes to ie for the yo (I) form. Because the word has two es, it helps to know that the change always happens to the vowel closest to the ending: pref-e-rir becomes pref-ie-ro.

Why is it "idea nueva" instead of "nueva idea"?

In Spanish, descriptive adjectives like nueva (new) almost always come after the noun they describe. This is the opposite of English, where the adjective comes first.

Why does "nuevo" end in an "-a" here?

Adjectives in Spanish must match the noun they describe in both gender and number. Because idea is a feminine noun (which we can also tell by the word la), the adjective changes to its feminine form: nueva.

Do I have to include "yo" at the beginning of the sentence?

No, you can drop it and just say Prefiero la idea nueva. Because the verb form prefiero can only mean "I prefer," the yo is optional. Native speakers usually add it for emphasis or contrast, as if to say, "I prefer the new idea (even if you don't)."