Prefer in Different Languages
Discover 'Prefer' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'prefer' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, allowing us to express our individual choices and desires. It reflects our cultural backgrounds and personal experiences, subtly influencing our decisions and shaping our interactions with the world. Understanding its translations in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural appreciation.
For instance, in Spanish, 'preferir' (pronounced pre-fe-reer) conveys the same meaning as 'prefer' in English. In French, 'préférer' (pronounced pre-fe-ray) carries the same weight, while in German, 'vorziehen' (pronounced for-tsi-en) is the equivalent term. In Mandarin Chinese, '偏爱' (pronounced pian ai) is the word used to express preference.
Exploring the nuances of 'prefer' in various languages can deepen our understanding of cultural diversity and foster a greater appreciation for the richness of human expression. Join us as we delve into the translations of 'prefer' in a multitude of languages, shedding light on the fascinating world of linguistic and cultural exchange.
Prefer
Prefer in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verkies | ||
| The word "verkies" is derived from the Dutch word "verkiezen", which has the same meaning but is no longer commonly used in Dutch. | |||
| Amharic | ይመርጣሉ | ||
| The word "ይመርጣሉ" can also mean "to choose" or "to select" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | fi so | ||
| Hausa has two words that mean 'prefer': so and fi so; unlike so, which can also mean "like," fi so cannot be negated. | |||
| Igbo | na-ahọrọ | ||
| The Igbo word "na-ahọrọ" is derived from the root "họrọ" meaning "to pick out" or "to choose". | |||
| Malagasy | kokoa | ||
| The word "kokoa" also means "to choose" or "to select" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | amakonda | ||
| The word "amakonda" can also mean "to like" or "to wish for". | |||
| Shona | sarudza | ||
| The word "sarudza" can mean "to choose" or "to select" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | doorbido | ||
| The word "doorbido" is derived from the Proto-Somali root "-dorb-", meaning "to take", suggesting that preference implies a sense of choosing or taking possession. | |||
| Sesotho | khetha | ||
| The word "khetha" in Sesotho is related to the word "khetho" in Zulu, which means "to choose". | |||
| Swahili | pendelea | ||
| The word "pendelea" can also mean "to cherish" or "to favour" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | khetha | ||
| In Xhosa, "khetha" not only means "prefer", but also denotes selecting or choosing something. | |||
| Yoruba | fẹ | ||
| Zulu | khetha | ||
| The Zulu word "khetha" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "*-kheta", meaning "to pick out" or "to choose". | |||
| Bambara | ka fisaya | ||
| Ewe | tiã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hitamo | ||
| Lingala | kosepela | ||
| Luganda | okusinga okwagala | ||
| Sepedi | rata | ||
| Twi (Akan) | pɛ sene | ||
Prefer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تفضل | ||
| The Arabic word "تفضل" can also mean "please", "be my guest", or "go ahead". | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַעֲדִיף | ||
| "לְהַעֲדִיף" (prefer) comes from the root "עָדַף" (abundance), alluding to choosing the more abundant or worthy of two options. | |||
| Pashto | غوره کول | ||
| In some contexts, "غوره کول" can also mean "to desire" or "to wish for". | |||
| Arabic | تفضل | ||
| The Arabic word "تفضل" can also mean "please", "be my guest", or "go ahead". | |||
Prefer in Western European Languages
| Albanian | preferoj | ||
| The Albanian word "preferoj" is derived from Latin "pre-fero", meaning "to bear before, to set before, to offer, to present". | |||
| Basque | nahiago | ||
| The Basque word 'nahiago' comes from the verb 'nahi' (want), and its original meaning was 'to want more'. | |||
| Catalan | preferir | ||
| In Catalan, "preferir" is derived from the Latin "praeferre" and also means "to present". | |||
| Croatian | radije | ||
| The word 'radije' is the comparative form of 'rad' ('work'), suggesting an alternative meaning of 'rather (work on this than that)'. | |||
| Danish | foretrække | ||
| The verb "foretrække" comes from the Old Norse verb "fortreka," meaning "to go before" or "to choose." | |||
| Dutch | verkiezen | ||
| In some Dutch dialects, the word "verkiezen" can also mean "choose" or "elect". | |||
| English | prefer | ||
| The word "prefer" derives from Latin "praeferre," meaning "to put before or in front of something else." | |||
| French | préférer | ||
| "Préférer" derives from Latin "praeferre" and also means "show off" | |||
| Frisian | foarkar | ||
| The Frisian word "foarkar" derives from the Proto-West Germanic word "*fōra-karjana", which also meant "prefer". | |||
| Galician | prefire | ||
| The word "prefire" in Galician can also mean "to prepare" or "to make ready". | |||
| German | bevorzugen | ||
| The word "bevorzugen" in German comes from the word "vor" meaning "before" and "zugen" meaning "to move", hence "to move before" or "to prefer". | |||
| Icelandic | kjósa frekar | ||
| The Icelandic word "kjósa frekar" literally translates to "choose more" in English. | |||
| Irish | is fearr | ||
| Etymology: is fearr, meaning "very good," came to mean "prefer," due to its use in sentences like "Is fearr liom é," meaning "I like it very much." | |||
| Italian | preferire | ||
| The Latin root of "preferire" also means "to bear or carry before", hence its use in heraldry to describe the position of charges on a shield. | |||
| Luxembourgish | léiwer | ||
| "Léiwer" derives from Middle Low German "lewer," and shares its root with the English "lief." | |||
| Maltese | nippreferi | ||
| The word derives from the Arabic "nifr" (self or soul), and originally meant "to have self-respect". | |||
| Norwegian | foretrekker | ||
| The Norwegian word "foretrekker" relates to the English "foreword," both referring to a written introduction. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | prefira | ||
| In Portuguese, "prefira" also means "filter", related to the Latin origin "praeferre", "to put in front". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | is fheàrr | ||
| The etymology of "is fheàrr" suggests a literal meaning of "is better," indicating its role as a comparative adjective. | |||
| Spanish | preferir | ||
| Curiosamente, la palabra «preferir» proviene del francés antiguo «préférer», que a su vez proviene del latín «praeferre», que significa «llevar delante». | |||
| Swedish | föredra | ||
| Föredra derives from the Old Swedish word 'föredh', meaning 'to put before'. | |||
| Welsh | well | ||
| Welsh 'well' can mean either 'prefer' or 'look, see, observe'. These two meanings are cognate with each other, deriving from the same Proto-Celtic root, *wel-, meaning 'to see'. | |||
Prefer in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | аддаюць перавагу | ||
| The word "аддаюць перавагу" in Belarusian can also mean "to give priority to" or "to set as a priority". | |||
| Bosnian | radije | ||
| 'Prefer' in Serbo-Croatian also carries an implication that a choice was made between multiple options. | |||
| Bulgarian | предпочитам | ||
| The Bulgarian word "предпочитам" has roots in the Proto-Slavic "*čititi", meaning "to read or count". | |||
| Czech | raději | ||
| "Raději" comes from "rad", which also means "gladly". "Raději" means "prefer" as in "would rather". | |||
| Estonian | eelista | ||
| The word "eelista" in Estonian originated from the Proto-Finnic word "*elista-" meaning "the best". | |||
| Finnish | mieluummin | ||
| The word "mieluummin" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*melemba", meaning "to like", and has cognates in other Uralic languages such as Estonian "meeldima" and Hungarian "minden". | |||
| Hungarian | jobban szeret | ||
| The word "jobban szeret" can also mean "to love more" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | dod priekšroku | ||
| The verb "dod priekšroku" comes from Proto-Indo-European "*preuks-" meaning "to ask or seek" and also relates to the Greek "πρωτεύω" (leadership). | |||
| Lithuanian | teikia pirmenybę | ||
| The word "teikia pirmenybę" is derived from the Lithuanian word "teikti", meaning "to give" or "to offer". | |||
| Macedonian | преферираат | ||
| The word "преферираат" (prefer) comes from the Latin word "praeferre", which means "to put before" or "to choose in preference to something else." | |||
| Polish | woleć | ||
| "Woleć" is a Slavic word that also means "to choose" and "to love". | |||
| Romanian | prefera | ||
| The Romanian word "prefera" also means "to favor" or "to appreciate". | |||
| Russian | предпочитаю | ||
| The word "предпочитаю" can also mean "I love" or "I would rather" | |||
| Serbian | радије | ||
| The word "радије" can also mean "rather" or "better" in Serbian, depending on the context. | |||
| Slovak | radšej | ||
| The word "radšej" in Slovak can also mean "more willingly" or "rather than." | |||
| Slovenian | raje | ||
| "Raje" is also the name of four settlements in Slovenia (Raje pri Moravčah, Raje pri Vinici, Rajevo Brdo, and Rajevo Selo). | |||
| Ukrainian | віддають перевагу | ||
| віддають перевагу (prefer) may also mean "give over" or "turn over" in Ukrainian. | |||
Prefer in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পছন্দ | ||
| The word "পছন্দ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "पसंद" (paśanda), which originally meant "liking, taste, relish". | |||
| Gujarati | પસંદ કરો | ||
| "પસંદ કરો means "prefer," but also has the connotation of "choose" in the sense of selecting an option that aligns with one’s personal taste or preference." | |||
| Hindi | पसंद करते हैं | ||
| The Hindi word "पसंद करते हैं" has its origin from the Sanskrit word "प्रिय" (priya), meaning "dear". | |||
| Kannada | ಆದ್ಯತೆ ನೀಡಿ | ||
| The word "ಆದ್ಯತೆ ನೀಡಿ" ("prefer") is derived from the Latin word "praeferre," meaning "to carry before or in front," implying giving priority or precedence. | |||
| Malayalam | തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | प्राधान्य | ||
| The Sanskrit term "प्राधान्य" (prādhhanya) carries the broader meaning of "primacy" or "superiority" and is not exclusively used in the context of denoting preference. | |||
| Nepali | प्राथमिकता | ||
| The verb "प्राथमिकता" is not related to the English word "prefer"; its root word " प्राथमिक" means primary. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨੂੰ ਤਰਜੀਹ | ||
| The word "ਤਰਜੀਹ" (prefer) originates from the Persian word "tarjīh" meaning "preference". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කැමති | ||
| The word "කැමති" has alternative meanings such as "consent" and "agree" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | விரும்புகிறேன் | ||
| Telugu | ఇష్టపడతారు | ||
| Urdu | ترجیح دیں | ||
| The Urdu word "ترجیح دیں" is derived from the Arabic root "رجح", meaning "to incline" or "to outweigh". It has alternate meanings of "to favor" and "to give preference". | |||
Prefer in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 偏爱 | ||
| The character '偏' in '偏爱' can also mean 'partial', 'unbalanced', or 'unjust'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 偏愛 | ||
| 偏愛 originally means "bias" and still has the implication of favoritism rather than just preference | |||
| Japanese | 好む | ||
| "好む" means "like" in the sense of doing something for the enjoyment rather than the necessity, but it also includes the sense of doing something that you are naturally good at or have a talent for. | |||
| Korean | 취하다 | ||
| "취하다" can also mean to be attached, devoted, or obsessed with someone or something | |||
| Mongolian | илүүд үздэг | ||
| In Khalkha Mongolian, the verb "илүүд үздэг" "prefer" primarily means "to show preference or superiority," whereas in Standard Mongolian it denotes "to love or be fond of something." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပိုနှစ်သက်တယ် | ||
Prefer in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lebih suka | ||
| The word "lebih suka" in Indonesian is derived from the Malay word "lebih", meaning "more", and the Sanskrit word "suka", meaning "to love". It can also mean "to be fond of" or "to enjoy doing something". | |||
| Javanese | luwih seneng | ||
| The Javanese "luwih seneng" can also mean "like more" in Indonesian | |||
| Khmer | ចូលចិត្ត | ||
| Lao | ມັກ | ||
| The word "ມັກ" (mak) can also mean "to be accustomed to" or "to be familiar with" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | lebih suka | ||
| "Lebih suka" (prefer) is derived from the Old Malay phrase "lebih pada" meaning "more than", hence its sense of preferring one thing over another. | |||
| Thai | ชอบ | ||
| The Thai word "ชอบ" (prefer) also means "to like" or "to be fond of". | |||
| Vietnamese | thích hơn | ||
| In Vietnamese, "thích hơn" not only means "to prefer", but also "more preferable" or "more favorable". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mas gusto | ||
Prefer in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | üstünlük verin | ||
| The verb "üstünlük verin" can also mean "to give priority" or "to favor". | |||
| Kazakh | қалау | ||
| "қалау" is derived from the Old Turkic "kal-", meaning "to remain", and a vowel harmony variant of "-ğu": "құлу", meaning "a wish or desire." | |||
| Kyrgyz | артыкчылык | ||
| The term "артыкчылык" can also imply an exaggeration or excessive amount. | |||
| Tajik | афзал | ||
| The word "афзал" can also mean "more excellent" or "of greater value". | |||
| Turkmen | ileri tutuň | ||
| Uzbek | afzal | ||
| The word "afzal" is derived from the Arabic word "afdal" meaning "more excellent". It can also mean "better" or "more desirable". | |||
| Uyghur | ياق | ||
Prefer in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | makemake | ||
| In Hawaiian, "makemake" also refers to a type of fern and a kind of taro plant. | |||
| Maori | hiahia | ||
| The verb hiahia can also mean 'seek', 'want', 'desire', or 'be lacking'. | |||
| Samoan | sili | ||
| The word "sili" can also mean "want" or "desire" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mas gusto | ||
| The Tagalog word "mas gusto" not only means "prefer," but it can also indicate "more delicious" or "more enjoyable." | |||
Prefer in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | munaña | ||
| Guarani | potaveha | ||
Prefer in International Languages
| Esperanto | preferi | ||
| Esperanto's "preferi" comes from Latin, where it could also mean "offer" or "present". | |||
| Latin | potius | ||
| The Latin word 'potius' can also mean 'rather' or 'moreover'. | |||
Prefer in Others Languages
| Greek | προτιμώ | ||
| The word "προτιμώ" comes from the Ancient Greek word "τιμάω", which means "to honor" or "to value". | |||
| Hmong | xum | ||
| The word “xum” in Hmong can also mean “love” or “want.” | |||
| Kurdish | pêşkişîn | ||
| The term "pêşkişîn" is derived from the Persian word "pīškash" which also means "offer" or "gift". | |||
| Turkish | tercih etmek | ||
| "Tercih etmek" comes from the Arabic word "tarjih", meaning "to weigh" or "to consider". | |||
| Xhosa | khetha | ||
| In Xhosa, "khetha" not only means "prefer", but also denotes selecting or choosing something. | |||
| Yiddish | בעסער וועלן | ||
| בעסער וועלן comes from the Old High German word "besser", meaning "good" or "better". | |||
| Zulu | khetha | ||
| The Zulu word "khetha" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "*-kheta", meaning "to pick out" or "to choose". | |||
| Assamese | অগ্ৰাধিকাদ দিয়া | ||
| Aymara | munaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | पसंद | ||
| Dhivehi | އިސްކަންދިނުން | ||
| Dogri | तरजीह् | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mas gusto | ||
| Guarani | potaveha | ||
| Ilocano | ipangruna | ||
| Krio | want | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بە باش زانین | ||
| Maithili | तरजीह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | duh zawk | ||
| Oromo | filachuun | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପସନ୍ଦ କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | munay | ||
| Sanskrit | अभिवृणीते | ||
| Tatar | өстенлек | ||
| Tigrinya | ይመርፅ | ||
| Tsonga | tsakela | ||