I'd rather / I'd prefer

So it's the weekend, and you've planned an evening out with some mates (a commonly used word in BrEng for friends), and you're trying to decide what to do. It's quite common in this type of situation to state your preferences, rather than just saying "I want to do this." or "I'd like to do that.", especially when responding to others' suggestions.

So imagine somebody makes a suggestion: "Why don't we go to that Hawaiian bar in Plaza Santa Ana?" or "How about that Chinese restaurant in the car park (Am Eng: parking garage) in Plaza España?". Imagine that these don't really sound like something you feel like doing, how can you make a suggestion of your own? One good way is to talk about your preferences. To do that, you can use "I'd rather" or "I'd prefer".

Let's look at the grammar of I'd rather and I'd prefer:

I'd rather is followed by infinitive without 'to'.
For example: I'd rather go to a film.

I'd prefer is followed by infinitive with 'to'.
For example: I'd prefer to go to a film.

Usually it's not necessary to actually state the thing you don't want to do, because it's clear from the context (ie, your friend just suggested it), but for the sake of completeness, we'll give you all the grammar.

I'd rather + infinitive without 'to' + than + infinitive without 'to'.
For example: I'd rather go to a film, than go to some stupid Hawaiian bar.

I'd prefer + infinitive with 'to' + rather than + infinitive without 'to' or -ing.
For example: I'd prefer to go to a film rather than go/going to some stupid Hawaiian bar.

As you can see, the grammar with "I'd rather" is actually a little simpler, so even though it sounds less natural to a Spanish speaker, it's actually a much easier form to use.