Angol nyelvtan 16: “would prefer” and “would rather”

Would prefer would rather: Képzeld el, hogy egyik jó barátoddal vagy pároddal sétálsz a belvárosban és megéhezel. Mit egyetek? Egyből jönnek az opciók: gyorsétterem, szendvicsbár, puccos étterem, speciális konyha… Aztán mindenki megfogalmazza, hogy mit szeretne.

Gyakran azonban ezek az igények nem találkoznak. Az egyik fél felvetését a másik fél ellenvetése követi valahogy így: “Én inkább olasz étterembe mennék.” Vagy épp így: “Én jobban szeretnék ma gyors kaját enni.”

Az ilyen típusú kommunikáció mondhatni mindennapos, hiszen választás elé sokszor kerülünk. Az angol nyelvben a “would rather” és a “would prefer” pontosan ezt fejezi ki: a választást.

Természetesen, nyelvtanulás szempontjából itt is van mit megemlíteni, mert mindkét nyelvi szerkezetet kicsit másképp használjuk, sőt a “would rather” egészen különleges gondolatok kifejezésére is használható, amit ebben a videóban meg is találsz.

Leiratot a videó alatt találod! 

Leirathoz kattints ide! - Would prefer would rather

Grammar

’Prefer’ and ’would rather’

Hiya. If I offered you two types of drink in the morning, like coffee and tea, which one would you pick? Which one would you prefer? If you asked me, I would prefer to drink coffee.

‘Would prefer’- this phrase means ‘I would like something more than something else.’ So, when my wife asks about coffee and tea in the morning, I usually choose coffee:

I’d prefer to drink coffee, hun.

When families make plans for their holidays, they sometimes face a dilemma: France or Spain? Each person has their own opinion:

‘I would prefer to go to Spain’, says the husband.

And then the kids shout,

‘and we would prefer to go to France!’.

Okay, let’s not get into that now… There is another way of saying this: ‘would rather’, let’s take a look:

I would prefer to go to an Italian restaurant.
I would rather go to an Italian restaurant.

Note that after ‘would prefer’, you need the full infinitive: to go; whereas, after ‘would rather’, you only need the basic form: ‘I would rather go’. Let’s see a couple more examples:

I would prefer to wait. Or, I would rather wait.
I would prefer to go to London University. Or, I would rather go to London university.
My son would prefer to stay in bed. Or, He would rather stay in bed.

I think you get it. But what if I would like another person to do something? How can I express it? Well, I can do that with ‘would rather’. Here is how it goes. Listen very carefully:

I can’t travel so long so I would rather he came to me.
I don’t want to hear that! I’d rather you didn’t tell me about it.
I have no time to get to the bank. I’d rather you went there and paid the bills.

Note that we’re using the second forms: he came, you didn’t tell me, you went etc. Why? What is the logic?

In Grammar episode 8, you must’ve heard about indefinite present and future, right? It is simply the second form of the verb, but the time is not past; rather, it is present or future. The second form only shows that the situation is indefinite i.e. uncertain or unsure.

Just think about it. If I say ‘I’d rather you went to the bank instead of me’, it is a wish. It is not a fact, but something that I would like to happen. Will it happen? I don’t know for sure. It is indefinite, hence the second form:

I would rather you went to the bank.

Very well. Having said that, we’re ending our mini-lesson there. Now go practice. See you soon.

 

Komplett videós tananyag-csomagjainkat itt találod!