I would rather / I'd rather ===== This is an example of the **subjunctive** -- something that refers to [possibilities rather than facts](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/subjunctive). Since you are giving **your friend** advice on what to do, it may or may not be done: >I **would rather** look at something else (if I **were** you). Anytime the situation is **theoretical**, or **not certain**, you should use the subjunctive ("**I would rather**"). Don't forget to capitalize "I". I will rather / I'll rather ===== We discussed in the comments whether "I will rather" ("I'll rather") also exists. [Google N-grams](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=I+will+rather%2C&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CI%20will%20rather%3B%2Cc0) confirms that "I will rather" has almost disappeared, but it was more common before 1900. Here are a couple of ways that "I will rather" may make sense: >* **When I die,** I **will rather** be cremated than buried. >* **When I go** to Italy next year, I **will rather** visit my birthplace than my uncle. >* **When I go** to Greece next year, I **will rather** go to the islands than the mainland. In each of these cases, the speaker is *certain*, and it is not theoretical. The first one -- death -- is especially certain. It may not make sense to say: > * If I eventually die, I would rather be cremated than buried. Feel free to use "I will rather" if you have a situation where **you are certain of the future**.