- Ejercicio
- Explicación
- Video
📝 Instructions for the Activity
In this activity, you will see 10 sentences, each with a blank space.
Your task is to choose the correct answer from three options.
👉 Only one option is correct, so read carefully and choose the best one!
When you select an answer, the system will automatically check it and tell you if your choice is right or wrong.
At the end of the activity, you will get a summary of all your answers,
plus explanations for the correct ones, so you can learn and improve.
💪 Take your time, do your best, and most importantly—have fun learning!
Good luck!
Las estructuras hipotéticas con “would rather” y “would sooner” se utilizan para expresar preferencias o deseos en situaciones hipotéticas o futuras. Aunque ambos términos tien
💬 Talking About Preferences:
Would rather · Would sooner · Would prefer
When you want to express a preference between two things, English gives you a few ways to do it. The most common are would rather, would sooner, and would prefer. They all show what someone would like to do or choose, especially in hypothetical or future situations.
✅ 1. Would rather
This is the most common structure. Use it to say what you’d prefer to do in a certain situation.
Structure:Subject + would rather + base verb
Examples:
- I would rather stay home than go out.
- She would rather eat pizza than sushi.
Negative form:
- I would rather not go to the party tonight.
Talking about other people (past tense):
Use: would rather + someone + past tense
- I would rather you came earlier.
- She’d rather he didn’t call so late.
Talking about the past (regret):
Use: would rather + someone + had + past participle
- I would rather you had told me sooner.
✅ 2. Would sooner
This has the same meaning as would rather, but it’s less common and a bit more formal or literary. It’s often used in British English.
Structure:Subject + would sooner + base verb
Examples:
- I would sooner go to the beach than stay at home.
- They would sooner skip lunch than miss the meeting.
🟡 Use it just like would rather, but remember it’s less frequently used in everyday conversation.
✅ 3. Would prefer
This is slightly more formal and is used both with nouns and verbs.
Structure 1 (with verb):Subject + would prefer + to + base verb
- I would prefer to stay home tonight.
Structure 2 (with noun):
- She would prefer coffee instead of tea.
Structure 3 (comparing two actions):Subject + would prefer + to + base verb + rather than + base verb
- We would prefer to travel by train rather than fly.
🔍 Key Differences
| Expression | Common in speech? | Formality | Typical structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Would rather | ✅ Yes | Neutral | would rather + base verb |
| Would sooner | ⚠️ Less common | Slightly formal | would sooner + base verb |
| Would prefer | ✅ Yes (formal settings) | More formal | would prefer + to + base verb / noun |
🧠 Summary
- Use would rather for everyday preferences — it’s the most flexible and widely used.
- Use would sooner when you want a more formal or British tone.
- Use would prefer for more formal situations, or when using nouns (coffee, silence, help).
🗣 Example Comparison
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I would rather stay home than go out. | Everyday, common way to express preference. |
| I would sooner stay home than go out. | Same meaning, but sounds more formal or British. |
| I would prefer to stay home tonight. | Slightly more formal and polite. |
These structures are great tools when you’re expressing opinions, making polite suggestions, or talking about your preferences. Mastering them will help you sound more natural, fluent, and confident in English.