preferir a o que
When comparing two things, preferir can be followed by the preposition a or the conjunction que; the choice depends on the phrase that follows it.1
1) When the second item is a noun, noun phrase or a clause introduced by que, the preposition a should be used. Remember, Spanish often uses the present simple for future one-off preferences, where English would use the conditional.2
-Prefiero el pescado a la carne — I prefer fish to meat
-Prefiero este plan a lo que tú propones — I prefer this plan rather than what you have proposed
-Prefiero quedarme aquí a que sufras tú — I'd rather stay here than see you suffer
When talking about people or personified things, the first 'personal a' can be dropped or alternatively the second a can be replaced by antes que.
-Prefiero Juan a José — I prefer Juan to Jose
-Prefiero a Juan antes que a José — I 'd rather Juan than Jose
2) If the two items are verbs in the infinitive, both the preposition a and the conjunction que are possible; the former being preferred by the DPD. Remember that Spanish often uses the present simple for future, one-off preferences, where English would use the conditional.2
-Prefiero comer esto a (que) beber eso — I prefer eating this to drinking that / I'd prefer to eat this rather than drink that
-Prefiero morir de pie a/que vivir de rodillas — I'd rather die on my feet that live on my knees
When the verb remains constant and the comparison is between direct objects, both a and que are equally acceptable.
-Prefiero comer jamón a/que queso — I prefer eating ham rather than cheese/ I'd prefer to eat ham instead of cheese
3) If there is an ellipsis in the second item along with a preposition, que should be used.
-Prefiero ir contigo que con ella — I'd rather go with you than her
-Prefiero prescindir de esto que de eso — I'd rather do without this than that
4) If the second item is an adverb then que should be used (a is possible but not common).
- Prefiero antes que después (también 'a después') — I prefer before rather than after
-Prefiero tarde que nunca — I'd rather late than never
5) In most cases the comparison can be made using antes que or en lugar de. This is common when the items are long phrases and therefore more likely to be confused. [See antes que / antes de (que)]
-Prefiero el vino antes que la cerveza — I prefer wine to/over beer
-Prefiero quedarme en casa contigo antes que salir con mis amigos — I ('d) prefer to stay at home with you rather than go out with my friends
-Prefieren escuchar a los que les dan la razón antes que a quienes les cuentan la verdad — They prefer to listen to those who tell them that they're right, rather than those who tell them the truth
-Prefiero intentarlo por las buenas en lugar de correr el riesgo de crear enemigos. — I'd rather try and do it on good terms instead of running the risk of making enemies
6) Sometimes an 'expletive no' is used before the second item of the comparison when using the conjunction 'que'.3
-Prefiero que rías a que llores — I'd rather you laughed than (you) cried
→Prefiero (Es preferible/Es mejor) que rías que no que llores [The 'no' is usually used between two 'que' clauses in order to avoid the cacophony of 'que que']
-Prefiero verte con él que (no) infeliz — I ('d) prefer to see you with him than (see you) unhappy [The 'no' is optional, although less common]
En La Prensa
La única duda es si los militantes prefieren los discursos emocionales a los racionales. EL PAÍS-May 15, 2017
Su bufete lleva varias reclamaciones judiciales por contratos que incumplen “infinidad de normativas”, pero cree que, debido a que se trata de pequeñas cuantías, los clientes prefieren pagar las deudas antes que iniciar un procedimiento judicial en el que nadie les garantiza que no pagarán las costas. EL PAÍS-May 14, 2017
Además, se tendrá en cuenta aquellos casos de "absentismo indirecto", en los que los jóvenes prefieren estar en su casa a acudir al instituto. ABC.es-May 9, 2017
Está por ver si los inversores del banco prefieren integrarse en otra entidad en lugar de llevar a cabo otra operación a vida o muerte Cinco Días-May 4, 2017
In Español-Avanzado Articles
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-Preferir a / que-
