How do we say 'instead' in Korean 대신에 (daesine)?

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In Korean, we use the phrase "대신에" to convey the meaning of 'instead.' This phrase is used to indicate the replacement of one thing for another in a context. 

For example, "커피 대신에 차를 마시다" can be translated as "Drink tea instead of coffee," highlighting the use of "대신에" to describe a change or preference in choice. 

Understanding the correct usage of "대신에" enables you to improve your Korean language skills, giving you the right way to convey the idea of substitution or different choices.

In this lesson, you will learn how the word "대신", which can be used in several different ways to mean "instead." In addition, you will learn some other concepts and words that have the same or similar meaning as 대신. Let's start.

Instead: 대신 (에)

Literally, in the Korean dictionary, 대신 means "instead". In this grammar, ~ 에 is usually attached to 대신. For example:

치마 대신 에 = instead of a skirt

차 대신 에 = as a substitute for a car

야채 대신 에 = as a substitute for milk

How to add 대신 to a sentence

As explained in the image above. If we want to say "Instead of me doing this, I'd rather do this", then we would use the principle of ~는 것.

For examples if we want to say "Instead of drinking water...", we can do it like these:

1) 물 을 마시는 것 대신 에

2) 물 을 마시는 대신 에

In the first example, we use ~는 것 to turn 물을 마시다 into a noun-describing clause. "것" serves as the noun and 대신 에 can be used after it. For example:

물 대신 에 = as a substitute for water

물 을 마시는 것 대신 에 = than drinking water

In the second example, 대신 replaces 것 and acts as a noun.

Pay attention to the following explanation to understand the differences in each sentence. Example:

물 대신 에 = instead of water

물 을 마시는 것 대신 에 = instead of drinking water

물 을 마시는 대신 에 = instead of drinking water

One of the following grammatical forms can be a sentence:

광산 회사 에서 일하는 대신 에 제약 회사 에서 일하고 싶어요

(Instead of working in mining company, I want to work in a pharmaceutical company)

아파트 에 사는 것 대신 에 집 에서 살고 싶어요

(Instead of living in an apartment, I want to stay at home)

그냥 앉아 있는 것 대신 에 해변 에서 휴가 를 가자!

(Instead of just sitting here, let's go on a vacation to the beach!

In the three examples above, the present tense of ~ 는 것 is always used. Even if we talk about something in the past or the future, we should always use ~ 는 것 대신 에 (or ~ 는 대신 에) and neither of the following:

물 을 마시는 대신 에 주스 를 마 셨어요 = wrong

연필 을 쓸 대신 에 펜 을 쓸 거에요 = wrong

차라리

The word "차라리" is one of the many words in Korean that actually has no meaning. Like the word "만약", "차라리" is used in sentences to convey feelings, not meanings. "차라리" is usually used in sentences when we prefer to do one thing over another. Because of this usage, "차라리" is often used in sentences with "대신 에". For example:

시장 에 가는 것 대신 에 차라리 쇼핑몰 에 가자!

(Instead of going to the market, let's go to a shopping mall)

Take a look at the following example sentences:

> 병원 에 갈래요?

   Should we go to the hospital?

> 박물관 에 가는 것 대신 에 도서관 가자!

  Instead of going to a museum, let's go to the library!

The second sentence can be shortened to:

> 병원 에 갈래요?

   Should we go to the hospital?

> 도서관 가자!

   Let's go to the library!

However, these two examples are less appropriate in situations where we want to say "I would rather do that than do this". So, by using "차라리" we can make a connection between the two sentences like this:

병원 에 갈래요?

(차라리) 도서관 가자! = (Instead of doing that) Come on (I'd rather) go to the library!

In fact, 대신 can be used for the same purpose. In the same example, by using 대신 (without 에), instead of 차라리, you can make the same meaning:

병원 에 갈래요? = Should we go to the hospital?

대신 도서관 가자! = Instead, let's go to the library!

Another example. 

밖에 나갈 래요? = Should we go out?

Two options that can be used for these question are:

차라리 여기서 있자 = I prefer to live here

대신 여기서 있자 = I prefer to live here

Instead: ~ 말고

We have learned about the imperative mood. At the end of that lesson, we learned how to make sentences like the following example:

> 매일 운동 을 하지 말고 많이 쉬 세요

    (Don't exercise every day, and get plenty of rest)

Technically, this sentence can also be translated into:

> 매일 운동 을 하지 말고 많이 쉬 세요 

   (Instead of exercising every day, get plenty of rest)

In this sentence, ~지 말고 does not have the exact same meaning as "~ 하는 것 대신 에", but it is very similar. However, we can also use "말고" instead of ~ 지 말고 with a verb that has a very similar meaning to 대신 with a noun. For example:

> 물 대신 에 주스 마시 를 래요?

   (Should we drink juice instead of water?)

> 물 말고 주스 마시 를 래요?

   (Should we drink juice instead of water?)

By using "대신에," we can accurately describe a change in Korean. The ability to understand and utilize this phrase can enrich our ability to express ourselves with words, providing an effective way to convey preferences or alternative choices in various contexts.

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