in plaats van te

Instead of -ing

Level 3

in plaats van [objects/adverbs] te [infinitive]

How It Works

The construction in plaats van te is a shortened clause used to mean 'instead of doing something.'

1. The Frame Structure
The phrase acts like a bracket. You start with in plaats van, then place any objects or extra information, and finally close the thought with te + the infinitive verb. Unlike English, which uses a gerund (-ing), Dutch always uses the infinitive.

2. The Subject Rule
You can only use this specific construction if the person performing the action in the main clause is the same person who would have performed the 'instead of' action. If the subjects are different, you must use in plaats van dat.

3. Separable Verbs
If you use a separable verb, the word te is placed between the prefix and the verb stem. In this case, the construction is written as three separate words (e.g., opbellen becomes op te bellen, and schoonmaken becomes schoon te maken).

4. Word Order and Inversion
Dutch follows a specific word order here: the verb always comes at the very end of the 'in plaats van' phrase. If you start a sentence with this phrase, the main clause must undergo inversion (Verb-Subject order). For example: In plaats van te slapen, studeerde hij.

5. Punctuation
It is standard practice in Dutch to use a comma to separate the 'in plaats van te' clause from the main clause, especially when the phrase appears at the beginning of the sentence.

Examples (4)

  1. In plaats van te studeren, ging hij naar de bioscoop.

    Instead of studying, he went to the cinema.

    Word by Word: In place of to study, went he to the cinema.

    A simple example where the infinitive 'studeren' comes immediately after 'te'.

  2. Hij besloot te lopen in plaats van de bus te nemen.

    He decided to walk instead of taking the bus.

    Word by Word: He decided to walk in place of the bus to take.

    Notice how the object 'de bus' is placed between 'van' and 'te'.

  3. Je zou moeten luisteren in plaats van de hele tijd tegen te spreken.

    You should listen instead of contradicting [me] all the time.

    Word by Word: You would must listen in place of the whole time against to-speak.

    Here, 'tegenspreken' is a separable verb, so 'te' is placed in the middle: 'tegen te spreken'.

  4. In plaats van een appel te eten, nam hij een koekje.

    Instead of eating an apple, he took a cookie.

    Word by Word: In place of an apple to eat, took he a cookie.

    The object 'een appel' must come before 'te eten'.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing the infinitive before the object (English word order).

    In plaats van te eten een appel...
    In plaats van een appel te eten...

    In Dutch, the infinitive must always be at the end of the phrase. Objects and adverbs must come before 'te'.

  • Using 'te' when the subjects of the two clauses are different.

    In plaats van te regenen, scheen de zon.
    In plaats van dat het regende, scheen de zon.

    The sun cannot 'rain,' so the subjects are different. You must use 'in plaats van dat' with a full clause in this case.

  • Adding 'om' before 'te'.

    In plaats van om te werken...
    In plaats van te werken...

    While 'om te' is common in other patterns, it is considered redundant and incorrect in the 'in plaats van te' construction.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

in plaats van teLevel 3Instead of -ing

Learn This First

To understand 'in plaats van te', you first need to be familiar with the basic prepositions 'in' and 'van' which form the phrase 'in plaats van' (instead of). Additionally, you must understand how 'te + infinitive' works, as this pattern functions as an infinitival clause to express 'instead of [doing something]'.

Words in This Pattern

in plaats vante