I'll Take That Instead 代わりに

ご飯の代わりに, 課長の代わりに, both attach directly to a noun with の, naming exactly what’s being substituted, whether it’s a food swap or standing in for a person.

Attached to a verb’s plain form instead of a noun, 代わりに still works the same way, swapping one action for another, バスに乗る代わりに自転車で, “instead of the action of riding the bus, by bicycle.”

Used with two contrasting facts like this, 代わりに shifts toward “to make up for,” a trade-off across time rather than a simple substitution, one shortfall balanced out by a later compensation.