Substitution (yerine)

The postposition yerine means "instead of" or "in place of".

instead of
yerine

Onun Yerine (Instead of it)

To suggest an alternative to something just mentioned, use onun yerine (instead of it / that). The pronoun o (it) takes the genitive case to become onun.

Don't buy a plastic cup, buy a metal cup instead.
Plastik bardak alma, onun yerine metal bardak al.
Nylon bags are very harmful, carry a cloth bag instead.
Naylon poşet çok zararlı, onun yerine bez çanta taşı.

Noun + Yerine

To name the thing you are replacing in the same sentence, place yerine directly after it. General nouns stay in their dictionary form.

Would you choose natural material instead of synthetic material?
Sentetik malzeme yerine doğal malzeme seçer misin?
An eco-friendly company uses wind energy instead of coal.
Çevreci bir şirket, kömür yerine rüzgâr enerjisi kullanır.
If you want to be eco-friendly, use a bicycle instead of a car.
Çevreci olmak istersen, araba yerine bisiklet kullan.

Verb + Yerine (Instead of doing)

To say "instead of doing something," place the infinitive form of the verb (-mak or -mek) right before yerine.

Buy an organic t-shirt instead of buying a synthetic sweater.
Sentetik kazak almak yerine organik tişört al.