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prefer + noun/pronoun
I prefer coffee.
我更喜欢咖啡。
更喜欢；宁愿
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
更喜欢；宁愿
to like or choose one thing over another
I prefer coffee.
我更喜欢咖啡。
习惯于选择某事物而非其他；偏爱；更喜欢。
To be in the habit of choosing something rather than something else; to favor; to like better.
向当局提交或呈递(某事)(现常用于“提出指控”)。
To present or submit (something) to an authority (now usually in "to prefer charges").
prefer
Base
原形
prefers
3rd person
第三人称单数
preferring
-ing
现在分词
preferred
Past
过去式
preferred
Past participle
过去分词
She prefers coffee to tea.
她更喜欢咖啡而不是茶。
Yesterday, he preferred to stay home.
昨天他宁愿待在家里。
They have always preferred this restaurant.
他们一直更喜欢这家餐厅。
prefer 是规则动词，但变位时需双写 r，因其重音在最后一个音节。
I prefer tea to coffee in the morning.
早上我更喜欢茶而不是咖啡。
She prefers to walk rather than take the bus.
她宁愿走路而不愿乘公交车。
They preferred staying at home during the holidays.
他们假期期间更喜欢待在家里。
I prefer coffee.
我更喜欢咖啡。
She prefers to walk to work.
她更喜欢走路去上班。
此结构用于比较两个事物。
He prefers reading to watching TV.
他更喜欢读书而不是看电视。
Not this
I prefer coffee than tea.
Use this
I prefer coffee to tea.
prefer 与 to 搭配表示比较，而 than 用于比较级。中式英语常直接套用“比”而误用 than。
Not this
I prefer coffee more than tea.
Use this
I prefer coffee to tea.
prefer 本身已含“更”之意，使用 more 是多余的，应直接用 to 引出比较对象。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
更喜欢做
I prefer to walk to work.
我更喜欢步行上班。
比起B更喜欢A
She prefers tea to coffee.
比起咖啡，她更喜欢茶。
优于；更喜欢
Many people prefer online shopping over in-store.
许多人更喜欢网购而非实体店购物。
强烈偏好
He strongly prefers working from home.
他强烈偏好在家工作。
更愿意；更喜欢
I would prefer not to discuss it.
我更愿意不讨论这件事。
希望；宁愿
The teacher prefers that students submit assignments on time.
老师希望学生按时提交作业。
Use prefer naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想：pre（前）+ fer（带），把喜欢的放在前面，表示更喜欢。
Prefer 在表达‘更喜欢’时，通常用于日常生活和一般书面语，语体中性，不特属正式或非正式场合。
Words in -fer (refer, infer, defer, transfer) rhyme with prefer, sharing the same stressed vowel and final consonant. Words like better and teacher also end with -er but have different vowel sounds and stress patterns; they are useful as spelling lookalikes but not rhymes.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.