namiesto toho, aby

Instead of Doing

Level 5

Namiesto toho, aby + l-form (+ som, si, sme, ste for I, you and we) says what should have happened, and the main clause says what happens instead: Namiesto toho, aby sme išli von, pozerali sme film.

How It Works

Instead of doing. The aby clause names the action that was expected, and the main clause says what happens instead. The main clause sets the time:

  • Namiesto toho, aby sa učil, hrá sa. (Instead of studying, he is playing.)
  • Namiesto toho, aby sa učil, hral sa. (Instead of studying, he played.)

Building it. With a noun, namiesto simply takes the genitive: namiesto kávy (instead of coffee). With an action, toho stands in for the action and aby follows after a comma. For I, you and we, add som, si, sme, ste after aby: aby som čakal, aby sme išli. In the third person it is only aby + l-form: aby sa učila. The l-form agrees with its subject in gender and number.

Two different people. The subject of the aby clause can be different from the main subject: Namiesto toho, aby mi pomohol, len sa smial. (Instead of helping me, he just laughed.)

Only one by. Aby already contains by, so do not add another: aby som, never aby by som.

Examples (5)

  1. Namiesto toho, aby sa učil, celý večer hral hry.

    Instead of studying, he played games all evening.

    Word by Word: Instead-of that, so-that himself he-studied, whole evening he-played games.

  2. Namiesto toho, aby sme išli autom, pôjdeme vlakom.

    Instead of going by car, we'll go by train.

    Word by Word: Instead-of that, so-that we went by-car, we-will-go by-train.

    The l-form išli refers to the future here.

  3. Namiesto toho, aby mi pomohla, len sa na mňa pozerala.

    Instead of helping me, she just watched me.

    Word by Word: Instead-of that, so-that me she-helped, only herself at me she-looked.

  4. Prečo sa smeješ namiesto toho, aby si mi odpovedal?

    Why are you laughing instead of answering me?

    Word by Word: Why yourself you-laugh instead-of that, so-that you me answered?

  5. Namiesto toho, aby sa situácia zlepšila, ešte sa zhoršila.

    Instead of improving, the situation got even worse.

    Word by Word: Instead-of that, so-that itself situation improved, still itself it-worsened.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting an infinitive after namiesto, as in English.

    Namiesto učiť sa hral hry.
    Namiesto toho, aby sa učil, hral hry.

    Namiesto is a preposition with the genitive, so it cannot take an infinitive. Use toho, aby + l-form.

  • Using the present tense after aby.

    Namiesto toho, aby sa učí, hrá hry.
    Namiesto toho, aby sa učil, hrá hry.

    After aby the verb is always the l-form, even when the sentence is about the present.

  • Adding a second by.

    Namiesto toho, aby by som čakal, išiel som domov.
    Namiesto toho, aby som čakal, išiel som domov.

    Aby already contains by. Add only som, si, sme or ste.

How It Connects

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

namiesto toho, abyLevel 5Instead of Doing

Learn This First

Before Instead of Doing, learn So That: aby and According To, Instead Of and Except. namiesto toho, aby uses aby. namiesto takes the genitive.

Words in This Pattern