anstatt

In a sentence

• Ich trinke Wasser, anstatt Kaffee.

  I drink water instead of coffee.

  Here, 'anstatt' is used as a preposition followed by a noun to indicate substitution.

• Anstatt zu lernen, spiele ich Videospiele.

  Instead of studying, I play video games.

  In this sentence, 'anstatt' introduces a subordinating clause with a verb in the infinitive form, expressing an alternative activity.

• Es wäre besser, anstatt zu diskutieren eine Lösung zu finden.

  It would be better to find a solution instead of discussing.

  Here, 'anstatt' occurs in a complex sentence to indicate preferring one action over another.