Prefer, Would Prefer, or Would Rather: Understanding the Difference (TOEIC®)

English preference expressions revolve around three structures: prefer, would prefer, and would rather.

On the TOEIC®, these appear in professional emails, dialogues, and especially in Part 5 where you must choose the correct grammatical construction.

The classic trap: confusing what follows each structure (to + infinitive, gerund in -ing, or bare infinitive).

The Three Main Structures and Their Differences

Prefer (General Preference)

Prefer expresses a habitual or general preference. It is used to talk about your permanent tastes.

Possible Constructions:

Structure	Example	Translation
prefer + noun	I prefer tea.	Je préfère le thé.
prefer + gerund	She prefers working alone.	Elle préfère travailler seule.
prefer + noun + to + noun	We prefer email to phone calls.	Nous préférons les emails aux appels.
prefer + gerund + to + gerund	He prefers meeting clients to writing reports.	Il préfère rencontrer les clients plutôt que rédiger des rapports.

In Part 5, the trap appears when you have to choose between prefer to work and prefer working.

Both are correct, but prefer working is more common for general preferences.

Would prefer (Specific Preference)

This structure is used for a specific situation or a preference in a precise context. It is more polite and less absolute.

I would prefer to meet on Tuesday rather than Wednesday.
They would prefer not to attend the conference this year.

Remember this well: would prefer is ALWAYS followed by to + infinitive. In TOEIC® questions, if you see would prefer immediately followed by a gerund, it is grammatically incorrect.

Would rather (Direct Preference)

Would rather expresses a strong, direct preference. This is the trickiest structure on the TOEIC® because it NEVER takes to.

I would rather work from home.
She'd rather not discuss this now.

Watch out: would rather + bare infinitive. If you see would rather to work, it is incorrect.

Summary Table of Constructions

Expression	Followed by	TOEIC® Example	Common Error
prefer	noun or -ing	We prefer scheduling meetings in advance.	prefer to schedule (less natural for general preference)
would prefer	to + infinitive	I would prefer to review the contract first.	would prefer reviewing (incorrect)
would rather	bare infinitive	They would rather postpone the deadline.	would rather to postpone (incorrect)
prefer... to...	noun/gerund + to + noun/gerund	She prefers emails to phone calls.	prefer emails than phone calls (incorrect)

Classic Part 5 Traps

The "to" Trap

The most frequent error candidates make is the addition or omission of to.

The reflex you need to have:

If you see would rather, adding to is forbidden.
If you see would prefer, to is mandatory.

Typical Part 5 Example:

The manager _____ review the budget before the meeting.

A) would rather to
B) would rather
C) would prefer
D) prefer

Answer: B. Would rather takes the bare infinitive, and would prefer would require to review.

The Comparison Trap with "than"

With prefer, comparison uses to, never than. This is an error usually made by French speakers who literally translate "plutôt que" (rather than).

Most employees prefer flexible hours to fixed schedules.
Incorrect : prefer flexible hours than fixed schedules

The Context Trap (General vs. Specific)

In Part 6 and 7, the context of the email or document provides a clue. If the message discusses a company habit, use prefer. If it is a specific request, use would prefer or would rather.

Decision Checklist to Choose the Right Structure

Use this table to quickly decide which structure to use:

Question to Ask Yourself	Answer	Structure to Use
Is this a permanent habit or taste?	Yes	prefer + -ing
Is this a specific situation and you want to be polite?	Yes	would prefer + to + infinitive
Do you want to express a strong, direct choice?	Yes	would rather + bare infinitive
Are you comparing two things?	Yes	prefer A to B

Frequent Errors and Corrections

In the error statistics we gather from candidates we coach for the TOEIC®, certain mistakes appear systematically. Here are the most common:

Error	Correction	Explanation
I would rather to go.	I would rather go.	Would rather never takes to
She would prefer calling you.	She would prefer to call you.	Would prefer always requires to + infinitive
We prefer coffee than tea.	We prefer coffee to tea.	Comparison uses to, not than
He prefers to working alone.	He prefers working alone.	With prefer alone, no to before the gerund
I'd rather not to wait.	I'd rather not wait.	Negation doesn't change anything: no to

Application to the TOEIC® Format: Typical Examples

In Part 5, preference questions test your ability to identify the correct construction in a professional context.

The team _____ complete the project early rather than request an extension.

Typical options: would rather / would prefer / prefer / rather

Answer: would rather (followed by the bare infinitive).

Ms. Chen _____ attending meetings in person to video conferences.

Typical options: prefers / would prefer / would rather / prefer to

Answer: prefers (general preference + gerund attending + comparison with to).

The classic hesitation: would prefer or would rather when both seem possible. The trick is to look at what follows in the sentence. If you see to + infinitive, it is would prefer. If it is a bare infinitive (without to), it is would rather.

Professional Context and Associated Vocabulary

On the TOEIC®, preferences appear in specific contexts:

Scheduling : "We would prefer to schedule the training session next month."
Method Choice : "The director prefers communicating by email to calling."
Team Decisions : "Most staff members would rather work remotely on Fridays."
Internal Policies : "The company prefers hiring experienced candidates to training new ones."

Words that often accompany these structures: schedule, arrange, postpone, discuss, meet, communicate, handle, process.

Ready to Practice?

If you really want to master expressing preferences and stop losing silly points on these structures, you need to practice under realistic test conditions.

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