Which sentence uses the correct verb form after 'would rather'?

Which sentence uses the correct verb form after 'would rather'?

• A. I would rather go than stay.
• B. I would rather went than stay.
• C. I would rather going than stay.
• D. I would rather went than stayed.

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is how verbs follow would rather when making a choice between two actions. After would rather, you use the bare infinitive—the base form of the verb without to. When you compare two actions with than, both verbs stay in that base form.

In the correct sentence, the verbs are go and stay, both in their base forms. The other options push the verbs into past tense or -ing forms (went, going) or use a different tense (stayed), which don’t fit the would rather construction.

So, the sentence that keeps both actions in the base form—go and stay—follows the standard pattern and is the natural, correct choice.