statt

Statt is a German preposition meaning "in place of" or "instead of." It introduces a following noun phrase or clause that takes the place of another option, action, or object. The preposition governs a case for the following element: traditionally the genitive, but in everyday speech the dative is common as well. In formal writing, statt des … (genitive) is often preferred, while statt dem … (dative) is widely used in common speech. The synonym anstatt is sometimes used with the same case patterns, and stattdessen can function as an adverb meaning “instead.”

Grammar and usage notes include that statt can be followed by a noun phrase in genitive or dative, or by an infinitive clause, usually with zu when the infinitive is not bare. For example, "Statt des alten Plans verfolgten sie einen neuen," uses a genitive NP; "Statt zu gehen, blieb er sitzen" uses an infinitive clause. The construction with an infinitive is particularly common to express replacing one action with another.

Variants and related terms: anstatt is a closely related form with the same meaning and similar case usage; statt is more common in everyday language, while anstatt is often found in more formal or cautious writing. Statt kann also be followed by nouns, pronouns, or clauses, always signaling replacement or an alternative to what preceded it.

See also: German prepositions of substitution; anstatt; stattdessen.