Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Prefieres este regalo u otro? - Do you prefer this present or another one?

¿Prefieres este regalo u otro?

Do you prefer this present or another one?

Breakdown of ¿Prefieres este regalo u otro?

this (m.sg., also esta, estos, estas, esto)

Questions & Answers about ¿Prefieres este regalo u otro?

Why is it u instead of o for "or"?

In Spanish, the word for "or" is usually o. However, when the word immediately following it starts with an o or ho sound (like otro), you must change it to u. This stops the two "o" sounds from blending together, similar to how we say "an apple" instead of "a apple" in English.

Why do we use este instead of esto for "this"?

Regalo (present/gift) is a masculine, singular noun. The masculine singular word for "this" is este. Esto does exist, but it is a neutral pronoun used only when referring to an unknown object or a general idea, never directly before a specific noun.

Why isn't there a word like un before otro to mean "another"?

In English, we say "another" (an + other), but in Spanish, otro (or otra) already means "another" all by itself. You never put un or una in front of it. Saying un otro is a very common trap for English speakers!

Why does Prefieres have an "ie" in the middle?

The dictionary form of the verb is preferir (to prefer). It is a stem-changing verb, meaning the e in the stem changes to ie when you conjugate it for the tú (you) form. That is why it becomes prefieres instead of "preferes".