em vez de

Instead of

Level 4

Em vez de is the universal Portuguese way to say 'instead of'. It works for replacing nouns, pronouns, or actions (verbs).

How It Works

The expression em vez de is the standard tool for substitution in Portuguese.

1. Usage with Different Parts of Speech:

  • Nouns: 'Quero chá em vez de café.' (I want tea instead of coffee.)
  • Verbs: When followed by a verb, use the infinitive. 'Em vez de sair, fiquei em casa.' (Instead of going out, I stayed home.)

2. Contractions and the Subject Rule:
Because it ends in the preposition de, you usually apply standard contractions like do or deste. However, in formal Portuguese, if the word following de is the subject of an infinitive, you must not contract: 'Em vez de ele falar, eu falei' (Instead of him speaking, I spoke).

3. Regional Variation:
While duma is standard in European Portuguese and informal Brazilian speech, formal Brazilian Portuguese often prefers the uncontracted form 'de uma'.

4. Advanced Usage (Level 4):
When the subject of the main clause is different from the subject of the action following 'instead of', Portuguese uses the personal infinitive for clarity: 'Em vez de eles falarem, eu falei.'

5. Em vez de vs. Ao invés de:
Em vez de is universal (substitution). Ao invés de strictly means 'the opposite of' (e.g., up vs. down). If you aren't sure, always use em vez de—it is never wrong.

Examples (5)

  1. Eu comprei um computador em vez de um tablet.

    I bought a computer instead of a tablet.

    Word by Word: I bought a computer in stead of a tablet.

    A simple substitution of one noun for another.

  2. Em vez de estudar para a prova, ele passou o dia jogando.

    Instead of studying for the exam, he spent the day playing.

    Word by Word: In stead of to study for the exam, he passed the day playing.

    When followed by an action, the verb 'estudar' remains in the infinitive.

  3. Vamos ao cinema em vez do teatro hoje.

    Let's go to the cinema instead of the theater today.

    Word by Word: We go to the cinema in stead of-the theater today.

    Notice the contraction: 'de + o teatro' becomes 'do teatro'.

  4. Em vez de eles saírem, nós ficamos aqui.

    Instead of them leaving, we stayed here.

    Word by Word: In stead of they to leave (personal), we stayed here.

    Uses the personal infinitive 'saírem' because the subject (they) is different from the main subject (we).

  5. Ela escolheu este vestido em vez daquele.

    She chose this dress instead of that one.

    Word by Word: She chose this dress in stead of-that.

    The preposition 'de' contracts with the demonstrative 'aquele' to form 'daquele'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ao invés de' for simple substitutions.

    Ao invés de suco, eu quero água.
    Em vez de suco, eu quero água.

    Prescriptively, 'ao invés de' is only for opposites (like hot/cold). Since juice and water aren't opposites, 'em vez de' is the correct choice.

  • Forgetting the contraction with the definite article.

    Eu fui para a praia em vez de o campo.
    Eu fui para a praia em vez do campo.

    In Portuguese, 'de' must always contract with the following article 'o' to become 'do'.

How It Connects

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

em vez deLevel 4Instead of

Learn This First

To understand 'em vez de' (instead of), you need to be comfortable with basic prepositions and how they contract with articles. Since this expression can be followed by either a noun or a verb in the infinitive, familiarity with how Portuguese handles prepositional phrases followed by infinitives is also necessary.

Words in This Pattern

em vez de