Modals · CEFR B1 · Independent

would rather — English modal verbs

Choosing between two things, on this occasion.

The shape

would rather + plain verb

Say which of two things you prefer, right now.

In Hindi

इस मौक़े पर दो में से एक चुनना।

CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.

The mistake to fix first

The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.

Commonly said	Correct English
I would rather to stay.	I would rather stay. "Would rather" never takes "to".

Commonly said

Correct English

I would rather to stay.

I would rather stay.

"Would rather" never takes "to".

Easy to confuse with

Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.

I'd prefer / I'd ratherB1Say what you would rather do, politely

Questions people ask

What is the would rather used for?: Choosing between two things, on this occasion. In practice: say which of two things you prefer, right now.
How do you form the would rather?: would rather + plain verb.
What is the most common mistake with the would rather?: Saying “I would rather to stay.” instead of “I would rather stay.”. "Would rather" never takes "to".

Where would rather fits

Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.

would rather is a CEFR B1 structure — the independent band — and it belongs to modals. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.

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