Usages of au lieu de
Pour économiser davantage, je cuisine à la maison au lieu de sortir au restaurant.
In order to save more, I cook at home instead of going out to a restaurant.
Je bois de l'eau au lieu de vin.
I drink water instead of wine.
En été, Paul porte souvent un short bleu au lieu d’un pantalon.
In summer, Paul often wears blue shorts instead of pants.
Le médecin dit qu’il faut mâcher ce comprimé au lieu de l’avaler tout de suite.
The doctor says that you have to chew this pill instead of swallowing it right away.
Quand j’aurai fini mes fiches, je les rangerai dans mon casier au lieu de les laisser sur la table.
When I have finished my study sheets, I will put them away in my locker instead of leaving them on the table.
Ça t’embête si je commande une omelette au lieu d’un sandwich ?
Do you mind if I order an omelet instead of a sandwich?
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).
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