In the sentence "aurais préféré que ça soit une surprise" - does "préférer" act the same as "aimer/détester" in that its followed by the subjunctive?

Hi James,

Préférer que   --> to prefer that    falls within "expressions of will/orders/advice"

Aimer que  --> to like that              falls within "Emotion and feelings"

Yes they are both followed by the subjunctive but convey a sense as shown above.

So it is a matter of what was in the mind (emotion) of the speaker/writer?

 

Hope this helps.

Jim