[tlhIngan Hol] Does the {'e' qa'} express a preference ?

[mayqel qunenoS]

In english one can say:

"I learn klingon rather than vulcan" ; meaning simply "I don't learn
vulcan, I learn klingon".

On the other hand one can say "I'd rather learn klingon instead of
vulcan", expressing a preference: "I prefer to learn klingon instead
of vulcan".

So, the question is, is the {'e' qa'} just a "neutral" "rather/instead
of", or is it (too) the wishful "I'd rather ?"

The way I understand it, it seems to be the neutral variant, but I
would like to make certain.

~ mayqel qunen'oS