'prefer', 'would prefer', or ' would rather'? Ask BBC Learning English

How can you use 'prefer',

'would prefer',

'would rather'?

That's what Maria wants to know.

Let's start with general preference.

So when you like one thing more than another, you can use 'prefer'.

I prefer coffee to tea.

Nowadays, I prefer staying in to going out.

I prefer camping holidays to beach holidays.

Pay attention to the form.

I prefer something to something.

So you can use nouns.

I prefer coffee to tea. Or you can use verbs.

But careful!

The verb needs to be in the -ing form.

I prefer staying in to going out.

You can also use

'I would rather' to talk about your general preference.

It's used in the same way as prefer. But careful.

There are some differences in how you use it.

Nowadays, I'd rather stay in than go out.

Generally, I'd rather drink coffee than tea.

So, first the preposition is 'than', not 'to'.

I'd rather drink coffee than tea. Also, you need a verb, and that

verb is in the base form, not -ing. You can also talk about specific

preferences – things you prefer to do now or in the future.

To do this, we use 'would prefer' and 'rather than' in one sentence,

but careful, we normally contract the 'would' to ''d'.

'I'd prefer'. I'd prefer to go to a hotel rather than go camping this summer.

But careful! This time the preposition is 'than', and also the verb is

in the 'to' + infinitive form.

I'd prefer to go out rather than stay in.

In spoken English, we often just drop the word 'rather', so:

I'd prefer to go out than stay in.

I'd prefer to go to the pub than the cinema tonight.

We can also use 'would rather' in the same way we use 'would prefer'.

I think I'd rather go camping than stay in a hotel this year.

Oh, well, I'd rather go to the pub than the cinema.

But again, notice the differences. With 'I'd rather', we don't have a 'to' with the verb.

I'd rather go to the pub than the cinema.

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