Learn French: Il travaille plutôt que de dormir. - He works rather than sleeping.

Il travaille plutôt que de dormir.

He works rather than sleeping.

Breakdown of Il travaille plutôt que de dormir.

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Questions & Answers about Il travaille plutôt que de dormir.

Why is there a de before dormir?

When using plutôt que (rather than) before a verb in its infinitive form, you must add de. This creates the phrase plutôt que de, which functions exactly like au lieu de from this lesson.

Why is the verb dormir in the infinitive here, when the English translation uses the -ing form 'sleeping'?

In French, phrases like plutôt que de or au lieu de are always followed by the infinitive form of the verb. French doesn't use the present participle (the equivalent of an English -ing word) after prepositions.

What is the difference between saying plutôt que de dormir and au lieu de dormir?

They are grammatically identical and often interchangeable, but have a slight difference in nuance. Au lieu de strictly means 'instead of' (a simple substitution), while plutôt que de translates to 'rather than' and emphasizes a choice or preference.

Does the word plutôt always mean 'rather than'?

Only when it is paired with que. On its own, plutôt usually means 'quite' or 'rather' as an adverb of intensity, such as in the phrase C'est plutôt bien (It's quite good). In this sentence, plutôt que works together to compare the two actions.