If you want to say “favorite” in Spanish, you’ll want to use favorito (masculine) or favorita (feminine). As with many words in Spanish, you do have other options, such as predilecto, which can be used interchangeably with favorito in more formal sentences. If there is a choice involved, you may want to use preferido.
Talking about your favorites and preferences is a great conversation starter, a good way to learn Spanish vocabulary, and a way to make new friends. To sound even more authentic in Spanish, use this guide to learn other expressions that express your likes and dislikes, as well as the grammar involved in how to say “favorite” in Spanish with accuracy.
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Favorito/favorita
Favorito or favorita is an easy word for English speakers because it’s one of the common Spanish cognates. The word favorito does have a few grammar considerations to ensure you don’t sound like a total novice. If you follow these three simple rules, your sentences will be accurate and you can focus on the fun part of the conversation.
- Use the right form of favorito. As with most Spanish adjectives, it will have four forms, depending on which noun (person/place/thing/idea) it’s describing. The word for “favorite” will match the noun in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
- Use the correct Spanish possessive adjectives mi/mis (my) and tu/tus (your), which have a singular and a plural form.
- Use correct word order. It’s worth emphasizing that the word order in Spanish will be the opposite of English. Instead of the English structure “my favorite (noun),” you’ll see the Spanish word order “my (noun) favorite.”
Here are examples of how to say “my favorite” in Spanish in multiple situations:
| Spanish | Gender/Number | English Meaning |
| mi color favorito | masculine/singular | my favorite color |
| mi comida favorita | feminine/singular | my favorite food |
| mis primos favoritos | masculine/plural | my favorite cousins |
| mis botas favoritas | feminine/plural | my favorite boots |
Talk about your favorites with a new friend
Starting conversations with new friends about your likes and dislikes is an effective way to practice speaking and to have some fun in Spanish. Discussing your likes and dislikes can help you make plans, go shopping, select activities and destinations, or even queue up songs for a road trip.
For example, if you want to ask someone “What is your favorite color?” in Spanish, you’d say: ¿Cuál es tu color favorito?
When asking a friend about their favorites, remember to use correct ser conjugation and rules about possessive adjectives by using ¿Cuál es…? (which is…) and tu (your) for singular or uncountable nouns, or ¿Cuáles son…? (which are…) and tus (your) for plural nouns.
- ¿Cuál es tu equipo favorito? = What is your favorite team?
- ¿Cuál es tu parte favorita de esta película?= What is your favorite part of this film?
- ¿Cuáles son tus colores favoritos? = Which are your favorite colors?
- ¿Cuáles son tus canciones favoritas? = Which are your favorite songs?
This can lead to lots of interesting follow-up conversations about entertainment and experiences, so you can keep the conversation going at a high level.
- ¿Cuál es tu parte favorita de esta novela? = What is your favorite part of this novel?
- Mi parte favorita de esta novela es cuando el soldado y la enfermera se conocen. = My favorite part of this novel is when the soldier and the nurse meet each other.
- ¿Tienes una película favorita? = Do you have a favorite movie?
- Sí, acabo de mirar una película de mi actriz favorita. ¿Quieres que te la preste? = Yes, I just watched a movie with my favorite actress. Do you want me to lend it to you?
- ¿Ella es tu actriz de televisión favorita? = She’s your favorite actress?
- ¿Cuál de los lugares que vimos hoy fue tu favorito? = Which of the places that we saw today was your favorite?
- Mi lugar favorito fue el palacio y sus jardines. = My favorite place was the palace and its gardens.
You can continue the discussion by describing your favorite things with other adjectives, like “beautiful” in Spanish or “interesting.” The language is filled with descriptive variety to boost your conversation.
Preferido/preferida
The word “preferred” in Spanish has more or less the same meaning, though it may imply that something is merely your preference among a limited set of choices, rather than your ultimate favorite. Use the Spanish adjective preferido in much the same way as favorito, in terms of Spanish gender rules as well as the word order.
- De este álbum, la primera es mi canción preferida. = Of this album, the first one is my favorite song.
- Mi opción preferida sería tomar el tren antes de las nueve. = My preferred option would be to take the train before 9 AM.
- Ambos de mis equipos preferidos ya perdieron. = Both of my favorite teams already lost.
Predilecto/predilecta
This adjective looks nothing like its synonym, so it is bound to make you proud of your Spanish. While the direct translation of predilecto is similar to favorito, it also conveys a nuanced meaning of “beloved,” “cherished” or “chosen in a special way” as in the case of writer Almudena Grandes, who was honored with the title hija predilecta of Madrid in 2022.
- Era el hijo predilecto de su mamá. = He was his mother’s favorite child.
- La nombraron hija predilecta de su ciudad natal. = She was named the “honored daughter” of her birth city.
Me/te gusta más
The phrase gustar más (to be more/most pleasing to) is another common choice for talking about the things you like best. The verb gustar in Spanish works in reverse of most verbs, so instead of using the Spanish subject pronoun yo (I) to translate “I like” something more or most, you’re saying that the favorite thing is “most pleasing to me.”
- ¿Qué camisa te gusta más? = Which shirt do you like more/most?
- ¿Qué vestido te gusta más? = Which dress do you like more/most?
- La comida alemana es rica, pero me gusta más la comida italiana. = German food is delicious, but I like Italian food the most.
- La tradición que me gusta más es comer las uvas de la suerte el Año Nuevo. = The tradition I like most is eating the lucky grapes on New Year’s.
You can go on to describe your ultimate preferences by using Spanish superlatives like “the best” or “the friendliest.”
Converse using a variety of words for ‘favorite’ in Spanish
The easiest word to remember might be favorito/favorita, but to avoid repetition, you can use a variety of expressions for your favorite things.
- ¿Qué deporte te gusta más? = What sport do you like most?
- Mi deporte favorito es el fútbol. = My favorite sport is soccer.
- ¿Cuál es tu clase favorita? = What’s your favorite class?
- Me gusta el inglés, pero la historia mundial es mi clase preferida. = I like English, but Global History is my preferred class.
Learning phrases to express your ideas comes most naturally when you get exposure to authentic conversations and situations. This is just the way Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion methodology teaches you the language, not just the words. What makes it so effective is that we prepare you to use your new language in your everyday life.
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