Would Rather & Would Prefer

Pattern: would rather + base verb

• "I'd rather stay home tonight." (Not "to stay")
• "She'd rather walk than take the bus." (Comparison)
• "We'd rather not go out." (Negative)
• "Would you rather have tea or coffee– (Question)

Would rather + past tense (for other people)

When you want someone else to do something:

• "I'd rather you didn't smoke here." (Please don't)
• "She'd rather he came early." (She wants him to come early)
• "We'd rather they told us the truth." (We want them to tell us)

Pattern: would prefer + to + infinitive

• "I'd prefer to stay home tonight." (More polite)
• "She'd prefer to walk rather than take the bus."
• "We'd prefer not to go out." (Negative)
• "Would you prefer to have tea or coffee– (Very polite)

Would prefer + noun/gerund

• "I'd prefer tea to coffee." (Noun)
• "She'd prefer walking to driving." (Gerund)
• "We'd prefer staying in to going out." (Gerund comparison)

Offering Choices:

• "Would you rather go to the cinema or stay home–
• "Would you prefer to meet at 6 or 7–
• "I'd rather not say." (Polite refusal)
• "I'd prefer to keep that private." (Very polite refusal)

Expressing Strong Preferences:

• "I'd much rather walk." (Stronger preference)
• "I'd far prefer to drive." (Much stronger)
• "I'd rather die than eat that!" (Dramatic exaggeration)

Wrong → Right

• "I'd rather to go" → "I'd rather go"
• "I'd prefer go" → "I'd prefer to go"
• "I'd rather going" → "I'd rather go"
• "I'd prefer than coffee" → "I'd prefer tea to coffee"

Casual Situations (Would Rather):

• "I'd rather order pizza tonight." (With friends)
• "She'd rather not talk about it." (Personal topics)
• "We'd rather leave early." (Informal plans)

Formal Situations (Would Prefer):

• "I'd prefer to discuss this in private." (Business)
• "We'd prefer to postpone the meeting." (Professional)
• "I'd prefer not to comment at this time." (Official)