We use I would rather to voice our preferences, whether you would like to do one thing over another or have something over something else. For example:
I would rather visit Europe than America.
I would rather do my homework when I get home.
I would rather you + the simple past is a sentence structure you can use to express your preference about what somebody does in a specific present or future event. Even though we are using the simple past tense, this sentence structure is talking about an event at present or in the future not about a situation in the past. For example:
I would rather you didn’t go to the party this weekend, you have exams next week.
I would rather you didn’t talk in class, it is very distracting.
I would rather you + the past perfect is a sentence structure that allows you to express your preference over a situation that occurred in the past.
I would rather you hadn’t called him and told him I was late.
I would rather you hadn’t gone to the party without me last night
