statt
/ʃtat/
The German phrase for "instead of" is statt.
Which one should you use?
While statt is a preposition used before a noun, if you want to say "instead" as a standalone adverb (for example, at the beginning of a clause), you should use stattdessen. For a more formal and precise way to express "instead of", you can use the phrase anstelle von.
How does it change in a sentence?
When "instead of" is followed by a verb representing an action, German uses the construction statt … zu followed by the infinitive. As a preposition, statt typically governs the genitive case in formal writing.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃtat/
Did you know?
- The phrase anstelle von literally translates to 'in the place of', reflecting a physical sense of substitution rather than just a logical one.
- In casual spoken German, you will often hear people use the dative case with statt instead of the formal genitive case, even though textbooks insist on the genitive.
- The word statt is actually a truncated form of the older German word anstatt, which is still used in modern German to mean the exact same thing.
Examples in context
- Er trank Milch statt Kaffee.He drank some milk instead of coffee.This sentence shows how to use statt with a noun.Tatoeba #2731004 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #11459346 by sundown
- Tom ist statt Mary gegangen.Tom went instead of Mary.This sentence demonstrates replacing one person with another using statt.Tatoeba #4701110 by dannylow, translation #4700118 by CK
- Er nimmt statt Zucker Honig.He uses honey instead of sugar.This sentence illustrates using statt to replace one food item with another.Tatoeba #6116604 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #296683 by CH
- Anstatt des teuren Weins, möchten wir lieber das preiswertere Bier.Instead of the expensive wine, we would rather have the cheaper beer.
- Bitte nehmen Sie den anderen Weg, anstatt durch die Baustelle zu gehen.Please take the other route instead of going through the construction site.
- Die Firma entschied sich, die alten Computer zu recyceln, statt sie wegzuwerfen.The company decided to recycle the old computers instead of throwing them away.
- Sie sollten frisches Gemüse anstelle von Tiefkühlkost essen.You should eat fresh vegetables instead of frozen food.
- Anstelle von weiteren Verhandlungen beschlossen sie, den Vertrag zu beenden.Instead of further negotiations, they decided to terminate the contract.
- Komm heute Abend zu mir anstatt ins Kino zu gehen.Come to my place tonight instead of going to the cinema.
- Wir sollten uns austoben, statt zu Hause zu sitzen.We should let loose instead of sitting at home.
- Du könntest mir helfen, statt nur dazusitzen.You could help me instead of just sitting there.
- 165 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Maximilian are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- HannahWollen wir Pizza essen?Do you want to eat pizza?
- MaximilianIch möchte lieber Pasta statt Pizza.I would rather have pasta instead of pizza.
- HannahIn Ordnung, Maximilian, wir machen Pasta.Alright, Maximilian, we'll make pasta.
- MaximilianSuper, danke!Great, thanks!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry statt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries statt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
