I prefer hanging out with small groups of people .
I don't like hanging out in large groups.
*I prefer hanging out with small groups of people .
This means that you don't like hanging out with a lot of people.
*I don't like hanging out in large groups.
This means that you are uncomfortable when you are around a lot of people so you try avoid it as much as you can.
*I prefer hanging out with small groups of people .
これはたくさんの人と遊ぶことが好きではないという意味です。
*I don't like hanging out in large groups.
これはたくさんの人の中にいることを快適に思わないので、できる限りそれを避けているという意味です。
Prefer' is a good way to tell people what you like - in this instance, you like small groups of people. In the second example statement, it tells people that you do not like large crowds - a crowd means a large group.
The expression, "I don't like large crowds", is very popular. It means that you feel most comfortable around a small group of people, especially if they are people that they know or people they are related to. This expression doesn't just refer to public settings; it also refers to more private settings. When talking about public settings, you can also say you are an introvert. This means you are shy around strangers.
"I don't like large crowds"（人混みが苦手です）は、結構よく耳にする表現です。小人数、特に知り合いや面識がある人達といる方が居心地が良いことを表す文章です。
この文章は、公共の場以外にも適用する表現です。プライベートな場所にも当てはまります。公共の場について話している時は、自分は"introvert"（内向的）だと伝えても良いかもしれませんね。Introvertは、知らない人の前でシャイな人のことを言います（人見知り）。
I'd rather hang out with small groups of people than large groups.
*I prefer A to B. = BよりAのほうを好む。I prefer tea to coffee. コーヒーより紅茶を好む。質問文のように何かすることの話をする場合は、動詞＋ingで～することにして使うので、hang out(遊ぶ）をhanging outにします。
*I'd (I would) rather A than B.=BよりAのほうがいいな。
ex) I'd rather just talk on the phone than texting. メール（携帯の）よりも電話で話す方がいい。
Some people like large groups of other people, a common word for someone who loves people is an extrovert. Some people prefer smaller groups and may or may not describe themselves as introverts. A way to describe this preference could be, "I prefer small groups". Another way would be to express the negative version, "I am not into crowds", or "I usually avoid large groups of people".
大きなグループで集まることがが好きな人がおり、人が好きな人のことを "extrovert"（社交的な）と言います。小さなグループを好む人の中には、"introverts"（内向的な）と形容される人も存在します。この好みを表わすには "I prefer small groups"（小さなグループが好き）と言うことが出来ます。
ネガティブな言い方のもう一つの方法は、. "I am not into crowds"（私は人込みが好きではありません） あるいは "I usually avoid large groups of people"（私は大きなグループの人たちを通常避けます）と言うことが出来ます。
I like hanging out with a small crowd/group of friends
I keep a small circle of friends
When you want to explain that you like hanging out with a small group of friends, rather than a large group at a time; then you can explain it in the following ways:
-I like hanging out with a few friends
-I like hanging out with a small crowd/group of friends
-I keep a small circle of friends
大人数よりも少人数の友達と遊ぶのが好きなことを表す場合、次のように言えます：
【例文】
-I like hanging out with a few friends
（少人数で遊ぶのが好きです）
-I like hanging out with a small crowd/group of friends
（少人数で遊ぶのが好きです）
-I keep a small circle of friends
（友達は少人数にとどめています）
I prefer being with just one or two friends rather than being part of a group
I prefer to maintain a small circle of good friends rather than get involved with large numbers of people
With some things, smaller is better!
You like to hang out with just a few friends (two or three) rather than with a large group of people (like a party). You can explain this by trying one of the abovbementioned suggestions.
If you prefer something you like it better than something else
A 'crowd' is a large group of people all gathered around so you could also say 'I don't like large crowds'
「prefer something」は「～の方が好き」という意味です。
「crowd」は「群衆」という意味です。
ですから、以下のように言うこともできます：
'I don't like large crowds.'
（人混みは好きじゃありません）
If you want to explain that you prefer to hang out with just a few friends, rather than with a large group of people, you can say:
"I like hanging out in smaller groups."
"I prefer hanging out with just a few friends."
"I don't like large crowds."
「大人数よりも少人数で遊ぶ方が好き」は次のように言えます。
"I like hanging out in smaller groups."（少人数で遊ぶ方が好き）
"I prefer hanging out with just a few friends."（少人数で遊ぶ方が好き）
"I don't like large crowds."（大勢の人が集まる所は苦手）
When someone is keeping there circle smalls it means you have a small number of friends in your group.
Example -
Lucy - Hi , How come you only like hanging out with 3 people.
Tom - I like to keep my circle small.
keeping there circle smalls とは、少人数のグループといるということです。
例：
Lucy - Hi , How come you only like hanging out with 3 people.
ルーシー：やぁ、どうして3人と過ごすのが好きなの？）
Tom - I like to keep my circle small.
トム：少人数の方が好きなんだ。
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