Breakdown of Anziché mangiare per noia, faccio una passeggiata.
una
a / an (feminine)
mangiare
to eat
per
for / in order to / because of
anziché
instead of / rather than
Questions & Answers about Anziché mangiare per noia, faccio una passeggiata.
Why do we use the infinitive mangiare instead of a gerund for 'eating'?
In Italian, when expressing 'instead of doing something' with anziché (or invece di), you must use the infinitive form of the verb. Even though English uses the '-ing' form ('eating'), Italian strictly requires the infinitive mangiare.
Could I use invece di instead of anziché in this sentence?
Why is per used in the phrase per noia?
The preposition per is often used in Italian to indicate a cause or reason. While English uses the phrase 'out of boredom', Italian uses per to show that boredom is the underlying reason for the eating.