How to talk about preferences in American English?

In American English, “prefer” is a little more formal but still common enough to use in everyday speech. Like better… But Americans are more likely to use the phrase “like…better” when talking with others. We use the word “than” after this phrase. Here is how we do that in a question and answer: Do you like tea or coffee better?

When to use the prepositional phrase’prefer’?

We can use a prepositional phrase with to when we compare two things or actions: I prefer tea to coffee. We prefer going by ferry to flying. She prefers books to magazines. Not: She prefers books than magazines. We can use a to -infinitive or an -ing form after prefer. A to -infinitive is more common.

When to use ” would prefer ” and ” would rather “?

Just like “would rather,” we can use “would prefer” to talk about specific preferences. But, to Americans, “would prefer” sounds more formal and we do not use it often in speaking. Here is an example of a question and answer:

What does it mean to have a preference?

A specific preference is something you like or want more at a given point in time, either right now or in the future. We use the expressions “would prefer” and “would rather” to talk about such things. These phrases have the same meaning.