German word

anstatt

Pronunciation

IPA/anˈʃtat/

Meaning

  • prepositioninstead of

Example

Ich trinke Wasser anstatt Cola.

I drink water instead of cola.

Illustration for anstatt (instead of)

More examples

Sie arbeitete die ganze Nacht anstatt zu feiern.

She worked all night instead of celebrating.

Core concept

A substitute moves into the place or role that another option would normally fill.

Common phrases

  • anstatt zu feiern

    instead of celebrating

  • anstatt einer langen Diskussion

    instead of a long discussion

Similar words

statt: A conversational way to show that one thing is chosen instead of another.
anstelle: A formal preposition for replacing one noun or option with another.

Definition in German

Drückt aus, dass etwas an die Stelle von etwas anderem tritt; steht vor Nomen, Infinitiv oder Nebensatz.

Word origin

The word combines an with Statt, an older noun meaning 'place' that developed from Old High German stat, so its original structure meant 'at the place of'.

Usage tips

  • A following noun normally appears in the genitive in formal German, although dative usage is widespread in speech.

Opposites

  • nebenalongsidepreposition

Related words

Word lists with this word