Breakdown of Prefiero este vestido, no ese.
no
no / not
preferir
to prefer
el vestido
the dress
este
this (m.sg., also esta, estos, estas, esto)
Questions & Answers about Prefiero este vestido, no ese.
Why is it este vestido and not esto vestido?
Even though masculine words usually end in -o, the masculine singular word for "this" is este. The word esto is a neutral word used for abstract ideas or unknown objects (like asking "What is this?"). You never use esto directly before a masculine noun like vestido.
What is the exact difference between este and ese here?
Why does the sentence just say ese at the end instead of ese vestido?
Just like in English we say "not that one" instead of repeating "not that dress", Spanish drops the noun to avoid repetition. When ese stands alone like this, it acts as a pronoun. Older texts used to put an accent mark on it (ése) when used this way, but modern Spanish spelling rules say the accent is no longer needed.
Why is the verb prefiero instead of prefero?