Offers with would prefer. Exercise Constructions Would rather and Would prefer. Difference between Do you like…? and would you like…

Today we will talk about the word prefer, which is widely used both in oral and written speech in English language. With the help of this verb, we talk about our preferences and tastes.

In this article, you will learn when we use prefer and would prefer in English, and how to build sentences with these words correctly.

Usage and translation of prefer in English

The word prefer is translated as "prefer". This verb expresses a person's preferences. We use it to say what we like. Moreover, we are talking about our constant tastes, that is, about what we always prefer, and not in any particular situation.

We use prefer when we say:

1. We like something/someone more than someone/something else
For example: She prefers cats to dogs.

He prefers blondes to brunettes.
He prefers blondes to brunettes.

They prefer coffee to tea
They prefer coffee to tea.

2. We enjoy doing something more than doing something else.
For example: She prefers to play sports than watch TV.

She prefers speaking English to speaking French.
She prefers to speak English than French.

I prefer staying at home to going fishing.
I prefer to stay at home than go fishing.

Affirmative sentences with the verb prefer

Since we are talking about permanent preferences, we use Present Simple tense in the sentence. There are 3 ways in which we can construct a sentence with this verb.

1. Compare two items

Actor+ prefer(s) + one thing + to + another thing

We use this pattern when we say that we prefer one thing over another. Since the present simple tense is used in the sentence, if we are talking about someone (he, she, it), then the ending -s is added to our prefer.

I
You
We	prefer	coffee		tea
They		dogs	to	cats
She		pencils		pens
He	prefers
It

We prefer fish to meat.
We prefer fish to meat.

He prefers serials to movies.
He prefers series to films.

2. Compare two actions

Actor+ prefer(s) + -ing action + to + -ing action

When we say we'd rather do something than do something else, we add -ing to our action to show that it's a process.

I
You
We	prefer	eating		drinking
They		walking	to	driving
She		reading		watching
He	prefers
It

They prefer jogging to doing the exercises.
They prefer jogging than exercising.

She prefers washing the dishes to sweeping a floor.
She prefers to do the dishes than to sweep the floors.

Actor+ prefer(s) + to action + rather than + action

This construction is often used when talking about the same action, but different preferences. It allows you not to repeat this action twice in one sentence. For example, I prefer to take a cold shower than (take) a hot shower.

I
You
We	prefer	to eat sweets		(eat) vegetables
They		to live in a flat	rather than	(live) in a house
She		to watch horrors		(watch) comedy
He	prefers
It

I prefer to read books rather than(read) magazines.
I prefer to read books than (read) magazines.

He prefer to sleep on the floor rather than(sleep) in a bed.
He prefers to sleep on the floor than (sleep) in the bed.

Interrogative sentences with the verb prefer in English

To ask a person what he prefers, we use do/does auxiliary verbs depending on the actor.

1. Compare two items

Do/does + actor+ prefer + one thing + to + another thing

	I
	you
Do	we		coffee		tea?
	they	prefer	dogs	to	cats?
	she		pencils		pens?
Does	he
	it

Do you prefer apples to pears?
Do you prefer apples to pears?

Does she prefer roses to daisies?
Does she prefer roses to daisies?

2. Compare two actions

Do/does + actor + prefer + action ending -ing + to + action ending -ing

	I
	you
Do	we		eating		drinking?
	they	prefer	walking	to	driving?
	she		reading		watching?
Does	he
	it

Do they prefer writing letters to calling a phone?
Do they prefer to write letters than to make phone calls?

Does he prefer taking out the garbage to do the laundry?
Does he prefer taking out the trash than doing the laundry?

3. Compare two actions and different objects

Do/does + actor + prefer + to action + rather than + action

	I
	you
Do	we		to eat sweets		(eat) vegetables?
	they	prefer	to live in a flat	rather than	(live) in a house?
	she		to watch horrors		(watch) comedy?
Does	he
	it

Do you prefer to drink milk rather than tea?
Do you prefer to drink milk than tea?

Does she prefer to work at home rather than at the office?
Does she prefer to work at home than in the office?

Using would prefer in English

We use would prefer most often when talking about preferences not in general, but about what you would prefer in specific situation. Also would makes this phrase more polite. To make a sentence with would prefer, we use the same constructions as with prefer.

1. Compare two items

Actor+ would prefer + one thing + to + another thing

I would prefer water to tea.
I would prefer water to tea.

She would prefer a backpack to a bag.
She would have preferred a backpack to a bag.

2. Compare two actions

Actor+ would prefer + action ending -ing + to + action ending -ing

She would prefer reading the book to shopping.
She would rather read a book than go shopping.

They would prefer sleeping to working.
She would rather sleep than work.

3. Compare two actions

Actor + would prefer + to action + rather than + action

We would prefer to eat at home rather than eat at the restaurant.
We would rather eat at home than in a restaurant.

He would prefer to dance alone rather than with her.
He would rather dance alone than with her.

So, today we have figured out how to speak about your preferences in English using the verbs prefer and would prefer. And now let's consolidate the theoretical knowledge in practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments.

1. She prefers to travel by train than by plane.
2. We prefer to pay by card than pay by cash.
3. Do you prefer red wine to white?
4. They prefer to live in the country than live in the city.
5. He would rather watch football than fix the TV.
6. Does she prefer skating than skiing?
7. They would rather mineral water juice.
8. Does he prefer hockey to football?

Do you want your speech to become more intense? Then why not pay attention to two useful designs – had better And would rather? The main thing is to understand what difference between them, and learn how to use these expressions correctly. In this article, we'll take a look at the usage, meaning, and examples that will surely help to introduce this sweet couple into your speech.

HAD BETTER \ WOULD RATHER - difference and usage

When to use had better, and when would rather? Of course we don't understand difference without delving into the meaning and translation of these constructions.

HAD BETTER - can be compared to a modal verb should, since this phrase serves to express advice, recommendations. Most often in the Russian version, the construction sounds like this "You're better..." "He's better..." etc. That is, this is how it literally comes out in translation, if we discard "had". We draw your attention to the fact that "had" in the phrase "had better" does not change in any way and has no reference to the past tense.

WOULD RATHER - this design is also compared with something. Typically this is a verb. "prefer". It doesn't just happen. By itself "would rather" expresses preference. Most often in the context we are talking about a choice between several possible options. Let's delve into the translation of the word "rather". The dictionary will give us several very interesting values: “more willing”, “preferably”, “better”. Generally, "would rather" translate as follows: “better”, “perhaps”, “I would prefer”. And this is no longer advice, but a conscious choice of a person to do or not to do something.

Note that both expressions are used with initial form verb without particle TO.

HAD BETTER \ WOULD RATHER - difference in examples

Now it's time to look at more examples with had better And would rather so that we will never again be deceived difference between structures.

Examples with had better

	Martha doesn't look good. She'd better stay home tonight.
2) You 'd better do your homework today because we are visiting grandparents tomorrow.	You better do homework today, as tomorrow we are visiting grandparents.
3) She 'd better watch her children when they are playing outside.	She should look after her children when they play in the yard.
4) They 'd better study harder if they don't want to lose their reputation at school.	They should study harder if they don't want to lose their reputation in school.
5) Tom would better work more instead of borrowing money.	It's better for Tom to work harder instead of borrowing money.

Examples with would rather

1) I 'd rather phone her and ask this question myself.	I'll probably call her and ask the question myself.
2) Bob would rather get there by taxi than by bus.	Bob would rather go there by taxi than by bus.
3) We 'd rather not talk about this now.	We'd rather not talk about it now.
4) Would you rather drink juice or mineral water?	Would you prefer juice or mineral water?
5) Anna would rather cook dinner than clean the flat.	Anna would rather cook dinner than clean the apartment.

In cases where it is necessary to use negation with had better or would rather it is enough just to put a negative particle after these constructions NOT. And then just follows the semantic verb without TO.

You'd better not smoke here. You'd better not smoke here.

Surely you noticed that in our examples abbreviations were used - 'd better\'d rather. This is quite normal for colloquial speech.

If you have a question, what is the difference between a modal verb should from design had better, we would like to note that should usually expresses more general advice. Had better It also serves to express a recommendation that is related to a particular situation.

Examples:

You'd better put a raincoat on. The weather is getting worse.- You'd better (should) put on a raincoat. The weather is getting worse.

You should stay at home when it is raining.- You should stay at home when it rains.

It is believed that when using the construction, the speaker hints that something will harm the listener if he does not follow the recommendation. He will catch a cold, get some negative results or suffer in an accident. Should has more general meaning. With the help of this modal verb a person simply shares his opinion on what should be done. But, if the advice is not taken into account, nothing supernatural will happen.

Please note that there may be more complex options proposals with design would rather. The speaker does not always talk about his preferences, but sometimes he needs to say what actions he expects from other people. In this case, after the construction and the person (the second part of the sentence) is used past simple(if the event concerns the present) or past perfect(if the event concerns the past).

Examples:

I'd rather she didn't come. I would rather she didn't come.

I'd rather they had organized a party at home. It would be better if they organized a party at home.

Welcome to a trial lesson!

Back
Forward

You have no rights to post comments

To express preference in English, it is customary to use several constructions that differ not only in some features of use, but also in some grammatical features. These structures include would rather (sooner), had better, and prefer. All of them in one way or another reflect a preference and a desire to do something in favor of some other action. They have several specific nuances that are important to remember.

Main features would rather

The standard translation for this structure is "it would be better, it would be worth it", i.e. the speaker expresses a preference. The main grammatical feature of this construction is (without the to particle) that follows it:

I would rather complete this task as soon as possible because the game is too complicated –I would preferred finish This exercise How Can quicker, That's why What this a game Very complex
I would rather drink hot teaI'd rather drink hot tea

The distinctive feature of this grammatical structure is that the speaker, using it, has a choice and prefers one to the other. Incidentally, would sooner is synonymous here and is also used with bare Infinitive.

In the event that this preference concerns not the speaker himself, but the third person on whom the emphasis is placed, then the construction formula will be different: construction + object + . The Past tense is used even though the situation is in the present tense; when talking about the past, time should be used instead of Past Simple:

I would rather you took these pills– I would rather you take these pills (now)
You would rather had taken those pills– You should have taken those pills (earlier)

Interrogative sentences

In interrogative sentences, it is in the initial position, followed by the subject, then rather and the infinitive without the particle to:

Would you rather read this or another book? -You would preferred read this or another book?

The translation would you rather is characterized by the meaning of the sentence of choice, when the speaker asks the interlocutor about preference.

Negation with construction

The particle not in the construction comes before the infinitive. Here too we are talking about preference, only in a negative sense:

I would rather not answer this question– I would prefer not to answer this question

Main features had better

It is very important to be careful and remember this construction correctly. Due to the fact that it is often studied together with the previous one, then common mistake is the "mixing" of their constituents. As a result, you can sometimes hear something like had rather. The correct and only option is had better.

Despite some similarity of this structure with would rather, they still have some difference. They are both used with the infinitive without to and have similar meaning. But if the first construction speaks of preference with a touch of choice, then had better displays some kind of warning or advice, that is, it is in some way synonymous with should, although it is translated identically - “it would be better, it would be worth it.” In addition, had better is less common in colloquial speech:

You had better stop speaking like this“You better stop talking like that.”
I had better be polite -Better would to me be polite

Note: had better is not typical for interrogative sentences, that is, a polite request cannot be formed with it.

Negative sentences

In negation, this structure looks like this: not comes before the infinitive, and not after had. In addition, the construction itself is always unchanged (there is no “have better” expression):

You had better not speak to him in such a mannerBetter would you Not speak With him V such manner
He had better not start this conversation once againBetter would to him Not start off this conversation again

would prefer construction

This is another expression that is similar in meaning to the two previously mentioned. Despite the identical meaning, it has one peculiarity: the infinitive after this structure will be full, that is, with the to particle:

I would prefer to go to Greece that to Italy –I would quicker went V Greece, how V Italy
He is an educated person and would prefer to communicate with intelligent peopleHe educated Human And preferred would communicate With smart people

Questions with this construction are also possible: they tend to display a polite sentence:

Would you prefer to drink tea or coffee? -Would you rather be drinking tea or coffee?

It is important that all these structures are used in the appropriate context and according to clear rules. Grammar provides special rules for the use of these constructions, and, despite the fact that they have Russian equivalents, certain principles must be followed, otherwise there is a risk of making mistakes with the formation or appropriateness of use.

1. Put rather or better . Translate the sentences.

We'd ____ stay inside until the rain stops.
You'd ____ leave before it gets dark.
I'd ____ you didn't wear jeans in the office.
I'd ____ stay hungry than have to eat that fish.
You'd ____ not phone her now. She's probably putting her baby to bed.
You'd ____ stay in bed today. You look pale.
I'd ____ send an e-mail than write a letter.
You'd ____ watch the steps.
Can I borrow your camera? – I’d ____ you didn’t.
He'd ____ give up smoking as soon as possible.

2. Put had better or had better not. Translate.

Bob is very angry with her. She____ do that again.
You ____ touch my laptop again.
We ____ study a bit harder.
The restaurant is always crowded. We ____ book a table in advance.
I have to be at the station in 15 minutes. I ____ leave right now.
This is her first day at work. She____ be late.
You____ drive carefully. You've already had some accidents this year.
It's going to rain. We____ take an umbrella.

3. Complete the sentences according to the model:

eg: I'll go shopping if you really want me to, but ____ . - I'll go shopping if you really want me to, but I'd rather you went. (I'll go to the store if you feel like it, but I'd like you to go.)

I'll spend the money if you really want me to, but I'd rather your dad ____ .
I'll cook roast turkey if you really want me to, but I'd rather you ____ .
I'll iron your shirt if you really want me to, but I'd rather Victor ____ .
I'll take out the garbage if you really want me to, but I'd rather Mary ____ .
I'll do the washing up if you really want me to, but I'd rather Tim ____ .

4. Use would rather or would rather not. Translate.

Kevin, let's go to New York by train. – I ____ go by car.
What did Mr. Jackson tell you – I ____ tell you.
Would you like a cup of tea? – I ____ have hot chocolate.
Do you feel like going out tonight? – No, I ____ stay at home.
I don't feel quite well this morning. I ____ go to school today.
I ____ die than apologize to you.

Answers:

better (We'd better stay inside until the rain stops.)
better (You'd better leave before it gets dark.)
rather (I wish you didn't wear jeans to the office.)
rather (I would rather stay hungry than eat that fish.)
better (You'd better not call her now. She may be putting the baby to bed.)
better (You'd better stay in bed tonight. You look pale.)
rather (I would rather send an email than write a regular one.)
better (Better take a closer look at the steps.)
rather (Can I borrow your camera? - Better not.)
better (He'd better quit smoking as soon as possible.)

had better not (Bob is very angry with her. She better not do this again.)
had better not (It's better if you don't touch my laptop anymore.)
had better (It's better for us to do more.)
had better (The restaurant is always full of people. We better book a table in advance.)
had better
had better not (This is her first day at work. She shouldn't be late.)
had better (You'd better drive carefully. You already had a few accidents this year.)
had better (It's going to rain. We'd better take an umbrella.)

... but I'd rather your dad spent it. (I will spend the money if you so desire, but I would like your father to spend it.)
...but I'd rather you cooked it. (I'll make roast turkey if you so desire, but I'd like you to cook it.)
... but I'd rather Victor ironed it. (I'll iron the shirt if you so desire, but I'd like Victor to iron it.)
... but I'd rather Mary took it out. (I'll take out the trash if you feel like it, but I'd like Mary to take it out.)
... but I'd rather Tim did it. (I'll wash the dishes if you so desire, but I'd like Tim to do the washing.)

would rather (Kevin, let's go to New York by train. - I would rather go by car.)
would rather not (What did Mr. Jackson say to you? - I would rather not say that.)
would rather (Do you want a cup of tea? - I would prefer hot chocolate.)
would rather (Do you want to go somewhere tonight? - No, I would rather stay at home.)
would rather not (I don't feel well this morning. I'd rather not go to school today.)
would rather (I'd rather die than apologize to you.)

adverb rather can describe the degree of expression of the following adjective or adverb. In this case rather translates as " enough", "enough". In the same meaning, instead of the adverb rather adverb can be used quite, with the difference that quite may have a positive connotation, and rather- negative. However, both adverbs are in most cases interchangeable.

Use with an adjective:

The film was rather good.
The film was enough not bad.

Use with an adverb:

It happened rather quickly.
It happened enough fast.

note

1. The adverb has the same meaning fairly. However rather has a slightly stronger tone. However, the adverb has an even stronger connotation. very.

2. Unlike most other dialects, rather can also be used with a noun:

It's rather a problem.
It represents some problem.

3. Rather can be used with some verbs:

I rather like it.
me it basically (= to some extent) like.

Using rather to Express Preference

Rather than

In comparative constructions (when comparing two adjectives, adverbs, nouns, verbs, etc.) the adverb rather can be used with union than to express preference. As a rule, such a construction is translated into Russian as " better than…", "better...not...".

For example:
Let's take train rather than the bus.
Let's better let's go by train but not by bus.

Rather you than me!
Better You, how I!

When the first part of the comparative construction is expressed by an infinitive with a particle to, infinitive after rather than usually used without particle to. In such cases, it is also possible to use –ing verb forms.

For example:
I decided to write rather than phone/phoning.
I decided better write a letter, but not call.

Would rather

Design would rather translates as " would prefer/would prefer", "would like to", etc., and is a synonymous construction would prefer to. After construction would rather followed by an infinitive without a particle to.

For example:
I" d(= I would) rather leave now. (=I" d prefer to leave now.)
I would prefer leave now.

Would you rather stay here or go home? (= Would you prefer to stay here or go home?)
You would prefer stay here or go home?

Would rather + subject + past tense verb

Design would rather can be used to express one person's wishes regarding another person's actions. In this case, you need to use the indicated construction with the verb in the past tense form.

For example:
Don't come today, I would rather you came tomorrow. (= I would prefer you to come tomorrow.)
Don't come today would prefer for you to come tomorrow.

I would rather you posted this letter. (= I would like you to post this letter.)
I would like to send this letter.

To express actions in the past, you can use the verb in the past perfect tense. In Russian, such a difference is not traced.

For example:
I would rather you hadn "t done that. (= I wish you hadn" t done that.)
I would like so you don't do it.