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Hotmale Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Prefer
Hello,
Can you please tell me what verb form I should use after "prefer" when referring to the past?
The sentence with "rather" goes:
"I'd rather you took a taxi instead of walking"
Would it be the same for "prefer"?
"I'd prefer you took a taxi ..."?
Thank you
Can you please tell me what verb form I should use after "prefer" when referring to the past?
The sentence with "rather" goes:
"I'd rather you took a taxi instead of walking"
Would it be the same for "prefer"?
"I'd prefer you took a taxi ..."?
Thank you
Top answer
Hotmale "I'd rather you took a taxi instead of walking" This refers to the future or to the general case. For the past, say "I'd rather you had taken a taxi" (the implication is that the other person did not take a taxi). With prefer, you can say "I'd prefer you to have taken a taxi".
- Hotmale "I'd rather you took a taxi instead of walking" This refers to the future or to the general case.
- For the past, say "I'd rather you had taken a taxi" (the implication is that the other person did not take a taxi).
- With prefer, you can say "I'd prefer you to have taken a taxi".
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10 Answers
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Hotmale"I'd rather you took a taxi instead of walking"This refers to the future or to the general case. For the past, say "I'd rather you had taken a taxi" (the implication is that the other person did not take a taxi). With prefer, you can say "I'd prefer you to have taken a taxi".
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I'd rather and I'd prefer work the same way.
You can use the present or the past in the clause that follows. Both refer to present or future time.
I'd [rather / prefer] (that) you [take / took] a taxi instead of walking.
CJ
Edit: I checked Google's N-gram viewer and found no examples of 'prefer' which took the past tense, so maybe that's no
You can use the present or the past in the clause that follows. Both refer to present or future time.
I'd [rather / prefer] (that) you [take / took] a taxi instead of walking.
CJ
Edit: I checked Google's N-gram viewer and found no examples of 'prefer' which took the past tense, so maybe that's no
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GPYWith prefer, you can say "I'd prefer you to have taken a taxi".Could you please have a look at my sentences please? Which of them are correct?
For the present:
I'd prefer to go.
I'd prefer not to go.
For the past
I'd prefer to have gone.
I'd prefer not to have gone.
For the present:
I'd prefer you to go.
I
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I can accept the ones marked "?".
The others all sound OK to me, except for the very last one, which needs "to" inserting (probably just a typo).
The others all sound OK to me, except for the very last one, which needs "to" inserting (probably just a typo).
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Thank you a lot. I couldn't find any useful information on "prefer" in my grammar books.
Yes, I meant "I'd prefer you not to have gone"
Yes, I meant "I'd prefer you not to have gone"
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I forgot to mention, though, that if unreal "went" is to be used, "I'd prefer it if you went" would be more usual.
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Thank you.
Does "I'd prefer it if you went" refer to the unreal present?
If yes, how do I form a sentence that refers to the unreal past?
"I'd prefer it if you had gone"?
Does "I'd prefer it if you went" refer to the unreal present?
If yes, how do I form a sentence that refers to the unreal past?
"I'd prefer it if you had gone"?
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HotmaleDoes "I'd prefer it if you went" refer to the unreal present?Present or future.
HotmaleIf yes, how do I form a sentence that refers to the unreal past?"I'd prefer it if you had gone"?Yes (counterfactual). You can also say "I'd prefer you to have gone".
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