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