The correct answers are didn't and cooked.
When we use "would rather" to talk about what we want someone else to do, we use the past simple — even though we're talking about the present or future. "I'd rather you didn't leave…" and "Would you rather I cooked…?" both follow this pattern.
Modal verb
- ✅ She can swim. — ❌ She can to swim. (modal + bare infinitive, no to)
- ✅ You must leave now. — strong obligation
- ✅ It might rain. — possibility (~50%)
- ✅ He should apologise. — advice/recommendation
Modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) are auxiliaries expressing ability, permission, possibility, obligation, or speculation. Always + bare infinitive. Never inflected (she can, not she cans).
Rule: modals never take to after them, never add -s for third person, and can't combine directly (must can ❌ — use must be able to).
Subjunctive mood
- ✅ If I were you… — past subjunctive (not was)
- ✅ I suggest that he go. — present subjunctive (not goes)
- ✅ It's important that she be present. — present subjunctive
- ❌ If I was you… — common in speech, avoided in formal writing
The subjunctive uses bare-infinitive forms (go, be) after verbs of demand/suggestion, and were (not was) in unreal/hypothetical conditions. Two contexts: that-clauses (I insist that he leave) and if-clauses (If she were here).
Rule: after suggest/recommend/demand/insist that… → use base form. In if + unreal condition → use were for all persons.
Past tense
- I walked home. — simple past (completed action)
- I was walking when it rained. — past progressive (in progress)
- I had already left when she arrived. — past perfect (earlier past)
- I had been waiting for an hour. — past perfect progressive (duration up to a past point)
Four past tense forms: simple past (done), past progressive (was happening), past perfect (had already happened), past perfect progressive (had been happening). Each encodes different timing relative to other past events.
Pattern: simple past = the story's main timeline. Past progressive = background action. Past perfect = flashback to something even earlier.
Verb mood
- Indicative: She goes every day. — stating fact
- Imperative: Go now. — giving command
- Subjunctive: I suggest she go. — hypothetical/recommendation
- Conditional: She would go if asked. — dependent on condition
Verb mood marks the speaker's attitude: indicative (fact), imperative (command), subjunctive (unreal/recommended), conditional (would/could). English barely marks mood morphologically — mostly through auxiliaries and word order.
Rule: stating a fact? → indicative. Giving a command? → imperative. Imagining/recommending? → subjunctive or conditional. The mood determines which verb forms and auxiliaries you use.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
- ✅ I went to the cinema yesterday. — past simple
- ✅ I have visited Paris twice. — present perfect (life experience)
- ✅ If it rains, I'll take an umbrella. — first conditional
- ✅ You should see a doctor. — modal for advice
These patterns are A2 — the second CEFR level. At A2 you move past survival phrases into real grammar: past tenses, the present perfect, basic conditionals, and modals for advice/obligation.
Marker: if you can describe yesterday and give simple advice, but struggle with abstractions or nuance, you're at A2.
B2 | Upper Intermediate
- ✅ If I had studied harder, I would have passed. — third conditional
- ✅ The report is being reviewed by the committee. — passive progressive
- ✅ Having finished the exam, she left. — participle clause
- ✅ He denied having taken the money. — complex verb pattern
These are B2 patterns — the CEFR upper-intermediate level. At B2 you handle mixed conditionals, all passive forms, participle clauses, and can argue a point clearly. This is the level most universities and employers require.
Marker: if you can write a structured essay and debate an abstract topic, you're B2.
Medium
- If I were you, I would apologise. — one rule (second conditional), but distractors like was tempt you
- Answers require active thought, not instant pattern recognition
- Vocabulary and context are realistic, not artificially simplified
- Usually tests one rule, but the wrong answers are plausible
Medium marks middle-difficulty challenges: A2–B1, one rule tested, but with realistic distractors that require genuine understanding.
Use "Medium" when Easy feels too obvious but Hard feels overwhelming. This is where most productive learning happens — the sweet spot of difficulty.