انتخاب ترجیحات: Would Rather
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'would rather' to express specific preferences in the present or future without using 'to'.
- Use a bare infinitive (no 'to') for your own actions: 'I'd rather stay.'
- Use the past simple for someone else's actions: 'I'd rather you stayed.'
- Form negatives by adding 'not' directly after 'rather': 'I'd rather not go.'
مرور کلی
would rather یکی از ابزارهای بسیار کاربردی و ظریف در زبان انگلیسی است که برای بیان «ترجیح» در موقعیتهای خاص به کار میرود. در زبان فارسی، ما برای بیان ترجیح معمولاً از فعل «ترجیح دادن» یا قیدهایی مثل «بیشتر دوست دارم» استفاده میکنیم. اما نکته کلیدی در انگلیسی این است که would rather برخلاف فعل prefer که برای عادتهای کلی به کار میرود، بر یک انتخابِ لحظهای و مشخص در زمان حال یا آینده تمرکز دارد.would rather دقیقاً مانند یک فعل کمکی (Modal Verb) عمل میکند. وقتی شما میخواهید درباره کارِ خودتان صحبت کنید، کار بسیار ساده است: کافی است بعد از would rather از شکل ساده فعل (بدون to) استفاده کنید. اما چالش اصلی و جذابِ سطح B2 زمانی شروع میشود که بخواهید درباره کارِ «شخص دیگری» صحبت کنید.subjunctive mood استفاده میکند. در فارسی، ما برای بیان آرزو یا ترجیح درباره دیگران، معمولاً از «که» و سپس فعل مضارع التزامی استفاده میکنیم (مثلاً: «ترجیح میدهم که تو بروی»). اما در انگلیسی، برای نشان دادن اینکه این یک «وضعیتِ غیرواقعی» یا «یک ترجیح ذهنی» است، فعل را به زمان گذشته ساده past simple میبریم.would rather در موقعیتهای متعددی استفاده میشود که برخی از آنها عبارتند از:- 1بیان یک تصمیم لحظهای: مثلاً در یک دورهمی دوستانه میگویید
I'd rather leave earlyکه نشاندهنده یک ترجیح مشخص برای همین امشب است. - 2رد کردنِ محترمانه یک دعوت: به جای گفتن «نه»، میگویید
I'd rather notکه بسیار مودبانهتر است. - 3درخواست غیرمستقیم: وقتی میخواهید به کسی بگویید کاری را انجام ندهد، به جای دستور دادن، میگویید
I'd rather you didn't smoke hereکه از نظر اجتماعی بسیار پذیرفتهتر است. - 4دادن توصیه: گاهی برای پیشنهاد دادنِ یک راه حل، از این ساختار استفاده میکنیم تا لحنِ توصیهمان ملایمتر از
shouldباشد.
- 1اضافه کردن
toبعد ازwould rather: فارسیزبانان به دلیل عادت بهprefer to، گاهی به اشتباه میگویندI'd rather to go. به یاد داشته باشید کهwould ratherدقیقاً مثلcanاست و بعد از آن فقط شکل ساده فعل میآید. - 2استفاده از زمان حال برای شخص دیگر: اشتباه رایج این است که میگویند
I'd rather you go. به دلیل تداخل زبان فارسی (که در آن فعل تغییر نمیکند)، زبانآموز فراموش میکند که باید از گذشته سادهwentاستفاده کند تا وجه التزامی را بسازد. - 3اشتباه در ساختار منفی: بسیاری از زبانآموزان به جای
I'd rather not goمیگویندI'd rather don't go. این اشتباه به دلیل ساختار منفی فعل در زبان فارسی است که در انگلیسی به این صورت عمل نمیکند.
would sooner استفاده کنم؟ پاسخ: بله، کاملاً مترادف است اما در انگلیسی روزمره would rather بسیار رایجتر است.I'd rather you went از گذشته استفاده میکنیم؟ پاسخ: چون این یک ساختارِ subjunctive است که برای بیان موقعیتهای غیرواقعی یا ترجیحی از گذشته استفاده میکند تا از زمان حال جدا شود.would rather have + past participle میتوانید از ترجیحاتِ انجام نشده در گذشته صحبت کنید.Conjugating 'Would Rather'
| Subject | Affirmative (Present) | Negative (Present) | Affirmative (Past) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
I
|
I'd rather stay
|
I'd rather not stay
|
I'd rather have stayed
|
|
You
|
You'd rather stay
|
You'd rather not stay
|
You'd rather have stayed
|
|
He/She/It
|
He'd rather stay
|
He'd rather not stay
|
He'd rather have stayed
|
|
We
|
We'd rather stay
|
We'd rather not stay
|
We'd rather have stayed
|
|
They
|
They'd rather stay
|
They'd rather not stay
|
They'd rather have stayed
|
Contractions of 'Would'
| Full Form | Contraction | Pronunciation Hint |
|---|---|---|
|
I would rather
|
I'd rather
|
eyed-rather
|
|
You would rather
|
You'd rather
|
yood-rather
|
|
He would rather
|
He'd rather
|
heed-rather
|
|
She would rather
|
She'd rather
|
sheed-rather
|
|
We would rather
|
We'd rather
|
weed-rather
|
|
They would rather
|
They'd rather
|
theyd-rather
|
Meanings
A phrase used to indicate that one thing is preferred over another in a specific situation.
Personal Preference (Present/Future)
Expressing what the speaker wants to do themselves right now or in the future.
“I'd rather eat at home tonight.”
“Would you rather watch a movie or play a game?”
Preference for Others (Present/Future)
Expressing what the speaker wants someone else to do.
“I'd rather you didn't smoke in here.”
“Would you rather I called back later?”
Past Preference (Same Subject)
Expressing a preference about a past event that didn't happen (regret).
“I'd rather have gone to the beach than the museum.”
“He'd rather have stayed home yesterday.”
Past Preference (Different Subject)
Expressing what you wanted someone else to have done in the past.
“I'd rather you had told me the truth.”
“She'd rather he hadn't invited his ex-girlfriend.”
Reference Table
| فاعل | جمله فعلی | فعل ساده | مقایسه |
|---|---|---|---|
|
I / You / We
|
would rather
|
stay
|
than go
|
|
He / She / It
|
would rather
|
eat
|
than cook
|
|
I
|
would rather not
|
wait
|
---
|
|
They
|
'd rather
|
watch
|
than play
|
|
Would you
|
rather
|
call
|
than text?
|
|
We
|
would rather
|
buy
|
than rent
|
طیف رسمیت
I would rather not attend the social gathering this evening. (Social plans)
I'd rather not go to the party tonight. (Social plans)
I'd rather skip the party. (Social plans)
I'd rather pass on the party. (Social plans)
The Branches of 'Would Rather'
Same Subject
- Base Verb I'd rather stay
Different Subject
- Past Simple I'd rather you stayed
Past Regret
- Have + V3 I'd rather have stayed
Would Rather vs. Prefer
Choosing the Right Tense
Is the subject the same?
Is it Present?
Usage Contexts
Politeness
- • Refusing offers
- • Setting boundaries
Decisions
- • Choosing food
- • Travel plans
Regrets
- • Past mistakes
- • Missed events
مثالها بر اساس سطح
I'd rather play football.
I would rather play football.
I'd rather eat an apple.
I would rather eat an apple.
Would you rather have tea?
Would you rather have tea?
I'd rather not go.
I would rather not go.
I'd rather stay home than go out.
I prefer staying home over going out.
Would you rather walk or drive?
Do you prefer walking or driving?
She'd rather not watch this movie.
She doesn't want to watch this movie.
I'd rather have water, please.
I prefer water.
I'd rather you didn't tell anyone.
I'd prefer if you didn't tell anyone.
We'd rather not have to work late.
We prefer not to work late.
Would you rather I came tomorrow?
Would you prefer if I came tomorrow?
I'd rather buy the blue one than the red one.
I prefer the blue one.
I'd rather you hadn't mentioned that to my boss.
I wish you hadn't said that to my boss.
I'd rather have gone by train; the traffic was awful.
I wish I had taken the train.
Would you rather we met at the office or at a cafe?
Which location do you prefer for our meeting?
I'd rather not have been invited if they were going to ignore me.
I wish I wasn't invited.
I'd rather you didn't make a habit of arriving late.
Please stop arriving late.
Had you asked, I'd rather have helped you myself.
If you had asked, I would have preferred to help.
I'd rather not have to explain myself every single time.
I dislike having to explain myself constantly.
Much as I love the city, I'd rather live in the countryside.
Despite loving the city, I prefer the country.
I would rather he were more proactive in his approach.
I wish he was more proactive.
I'd rather not have been made to feel like a criminal.
I disliked being treated that way.
I'd rather you had not so much as looked at my phone.
You shouldn't have even looked at my phone.
One would rather assume that the data is correct.
It is preferable to assume the data is correct.
بهراحتی اشتباه گرفته میشود
Both express preference, but 'would prefer' requires 'to'.
'Had better' is for advice/warnings, 'would rather' is for preference.
Learners use 'would rather' for general habits.
اشتباهات رایج
I'd rather to go.
I'd rather go.
I don't rather.
I'd rather not.
I rather go.
I'd rather go.
I'd rather go to home.
I'd rather go home.
I'd rather coffee to tea.
I'd rather have coffee than tea.
Would you rather to stay?
Would you rather stay?
I'd rather not to eat.
I'd rather not eat.
I'd rather than stay.
I'd rather stay.
I'd rather you stay.
I'd rather you stayed.
I'd rather you don't go.
I'd rather you didn't go.
I'd rather you to stay.
I'd rather you stayed.
I'd rather have go.
I'd rather have gone.
I'd rather you hadn't have told him.
I'd rather you hadn't told him.
I'd rather you weren't so loud.
I'd rather you weren't so loud.
I'd rather not having gone.
I'd rather not have gone.
I'd rather you had went.
I'd rather you had gone.
الگوهای جملهسازی
I'd rather ___ than ___.
I'd rather you didn't ___.
Would you rather I ___?
I'd rather have ___.
Real World Usage
I'd rather meet at the mall.
I'd rather work in a team than alone.
I'd rather have the salad than the fries.
I'd rather you didn't touch my laptop.
Would you rather fly or take the train?
Would you rather always be 10 mins late or 20 mins early?
بدون 'to'
'than' با 'then' فرق داره
نه گفتن مؤدبانه
Smart Tips
Imagine the 'to' is a wall blocking your preference. Knock it down!
Use 'I'd rather not' instead of 'No' or 'I don't want to'.
Think of it as a time machine: move the verb one step into the past.
Use 'than' like a bridge between your two choices.
تلفظ
The 'd contraction
The 'd' in 'I'd' is often very soft. It sounds like a tiny stop at the end of the pronoun.
Rather stress
The stress is usually on the first syllable of 'RATH-er'.
Choice Intonation
Would you rather walk ↗ or drive ↘?
Rising intonation on the first option, falling on the second.
حفظ کنید
روش یادسپاری
Rather? No 'to' for you! (Reminds you to skip the 'to' in the infinitive).
تداعی تصویری
Imagine a fork in the road. On one path is a giant 'A' and on the other a giant 'B'. You are standing at the fork saying 'I'd rather take A than B.' The 'than' is a bridge connecting the two paths.
Rhyme
When it's me, the verb stays free. When it's you, the past will do.
Story
A king is very picky. When he wants to eat, he says 'I'd rather eat gold.' When his servant wants to eat, the king says 'I'd rather you ate bread.' The king always pushes the servant's verb into the past to show he is in control.
شبکه واژگان
چالش
Write 5 sentences about your ideal weekend using 'I'd rather...' and 5 things you want your best friend to do using 'I'd rather you...'
نکات فرهنگی
In the UK, 'would sooner' is a very common alternative to 'would rather', especially in the north of England.
Americans use 'would rather' extensively for polite refusals to avoid sounding too direct or rude.
In corporate settings, 'would rather' is used to suggest alternatives without sounding like you are giving orders.
The word 'rather' comes from the Old English 'hrathor', meaning 'more quickly' or 'sooner'.
شروعکنندههای مکالمه
Would you rather live in a world with no internet or no heating?
Would you rather have the ability to fly or be invisible?
I'd rather you hadn't told me that secret. How do you feel when people overshare?
Would you rather have lived in the 1920s or the 1980s?
موضوعات نگارش
اشتباهات رایج
Test Yourself
I'd rather ___ (stay) home tonight.
Choose the grammatically correct sentence:
Find and fix the mistake:
She'd rather not to go to the party.
Score: /3
تمرینهای عملی
8 exercisesI'd rather ___ at home tonight than go to the party.
Find and fix the mistake:
I'd rather you don't smoke in the house.
I'd rather you ___ me the truth yesterday.
I prefer walking to driving.
You can use 'would rather' with a gerund (verb+ing).
A: Do you want to watch a horror movie? B: Actually, I'd rather ___.
I'd rather ___ that expensive car.
Situation: You want your friend to leave now.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercisesWould you rather ___ coffee or tea?
I'd rather play games instead of studying.
rather / I / not / would / now / eat
Prefiero caminar que correr.
You are at a cafe. You choose a drink.
Matching preferences:
We ___ rather not stay at that hotel.
He would rathers play football.
Which one uses the contraction correctly?
¿Preferirías ir ahora?
Score: /10
سوالات متداول (8)
No. This is the most common mistake. Always use the bare infinitive: `I'd rather go`.
`Would rather` takes a bare infinitive (`I'd rather stay`), while `would prefer` takes a to-infinitive (`I'd prefer to stay`).
This is a type of 'unreal' past (subjunctive). It shows that the preference is a hypothetical desire rather than a fact.
Start with 'Would': `Would you rather eat now or later?`
It's better to use `prefer` for general habits. Use `would rather` for specific choices in the moment.
Yes, `I'd sooner` is a synonymous expression, though it is slightly more common in British English or for very strong preferences.
The negative is `I'd rather you didn't stay`.
No, `would prefer` usually uses `rather than`. Example: `I would prefer to walk rather than drive`.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Preferiría / Más bien
English uses the past simple, Spanish uses the past subjunctive.
Préférerait / Aimerait mieux
English avoids the word 'that' (que) and uses a past tense instead of subjunctive.
würde lieber
German word order puts the verb at the end of the sentence.
...hou ga ii
Japanese does not use a modal verb like 'would'.
Yufaddilu an (يفضل أن)
Arabic does not have a specific 'would rather' construction separate from 'prefer'.
Níngyuàn (宁愿)
Chinese has no verb conjugation or tense shifts for different subjects.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
ویدیوهای مرتبط
Potato Chip Latkes | Potato Pancakes | Food Wishes
The Subjunctive in English - Complete Advanced English Grammar Lesson
English with Lucy
The Subjunctive Mood in English Grammar… Explained Simply!
English with Greg
Learn English Grammar: THE SUBJUNCTIVE – "I wish..."
Adam’s English Lessons · engVid
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