“I would rather” sometimes carries a negative connotation towards the thing you don't want to do. for example “I would rather jump off a building than study math!” where as stating that you prefer something doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong with the other options available, but that is what you like more.

Hi Sobhan, Both sentences are used to indicate a preference between two options -- one of the options is favoured over the other. We use "would rather" with "than" to form the sentence. Example: I WOULD RATHER complete (bare infinitive) my work THAN watch (bare infinitive) television. Note that the more preferred choice is indicated first (i.e. complete my work) before the less preferred choice (i.e. watch television). The verbs used are also in the bare infinitive form. A verb in the infinitive form comes with the word "to" (e.g. to work, to run, to buy). Although "to" is not written in the bare infinitive form, it can be implied that the verb functions as an infinitive as it shows an intention or purpose to carry out an action. Reference: http://speakspeak.com/resources/english-grammar-rules/various-grammar-rules/would-rather-versus-would-prefer-and-prefer Alternatively, we use "prefer(s)" with "to" to form the sentence. Example: I PREFER completing my work TO watching television. Note that the preferred choice is indicated first again (i.e. completing my work). The verbs are in the -ing form because they are part of a Gerund Phrase, meaning that "completing my work" functions as a phrase to describe SOMETHING (essentially a noun) -- "completing my work" is SOMETHING I can do; "watching television" is SOMETHING I can do as well. Reference: http://www.eslbase.com/forum/viewtopic/how-to-use-prefer-to/ Back to your question, Both "would rather....than" and "prefer..... to" have a similar function of indicate a preference when one is given two options; they are different in terms of the way the sentences are constructed. Your sentence: "I prefer study English than study math." should be rewritten as: 'I prefer studying English to *(studying) Math." *"studying" is optional as it is repeated in the sentence -- it is understood by the reader that you are studying Math. Hope this helps.

Definition of rather- used to indicate one's Perference in a particular matter, to a certain significant extent or degree. Definition of Perfer- like one thing or person better than another or others;

They have the same meaning, but are structured differently in each sentence.

"I would rather study English than study math."

"I prefer studying English to math."

Prefer/would prefer to..is followed by the infinitive (studying/going/listening), whereas rather/rather than.. is not.

We also use "to" as in "prefer ____ to _____"

and

"than" as in "rather ____ than _____"

Hope this helps :)

Hey Sobhan, I shall provide you with information over the usage of ''prefer...'' and ''would rather...'', as follows: 1) When we speak about a specific preference (our preference now), ''would rather'' and ''would prefer'' have the same meaning and are interchangeable. E.g.: ''We went to the theatre yesterday; today I would rather go to the cinema.'' E.g.: ''We went to the theatre yesterday; today I would prefer to go to the cinema.'' ***NOTICE: ''Would rather'' is followed by the infinitive without 'to.' ''Would prefer'' is followed by 'to + infinitive' or a 'noun': E.g.: ''I'd rather have fruit juice.'' E.g.: ''I'd prefer to have fruit juice.'' E.g.: ''I'd prefer fruit juice.'' (noun, no verb) ***NOTICE: We say would ''rather . . . than'' and ''would prefer . . . rather than'' or ''would prefer . . . instead of'' : E.g.: ''It's such nice weather – I 'd rather sit in the garden than watch TV.'' E.g.: ''It's such nice weather – I 'd prefer to sit in the garden rather than watch TV.'' E.g.: ''It's such nice weather – I 'd prefer to sit in the garden instead of watching TV.'' 2) When we talk about general preferences, we can use prefer or would rather (but not ''would prefer''). ''Prefer'' and ''would rather'' have the same meaning: E.g.: ''I prefer walking to cycling.'' E.g.: ''I would rather walk than cycle.'' 3) After ''prefer'' we use the verb in the ''-ing form''. After ''would rather'' we use the infinitive without 'to' : E.g.: ''I prefer using a keyboard to writing with a pen.'' E.g.: ''I ’d rather use a keyboard than write with a pen.'' ***NOTICE: We say ''prefer . . . to...'' , but ''would rather . . . than...'' : E.g.: ''I prefer walking to driving.'' E.g.: ''I ’d rather walk than drive.'' Hope that helps!!!