And when the subject of "would rather" is different from the subject of the following verb, we use the past simple: I'd rather you stayed at home today. Hi everybody What tense should I use after: I'd rather we I know that when the subject of "would rather" is also the subject of the following verb, we use the present bare infinitive: I'd rather stay at home today. How To Use “I’d Rather” To express your opinion, instead of using “I prefer,” you can use “I’d rather.” The expression is actually “I would rather” but in conversation we say, “I’d rather…” To talk about things that you like, you can say: