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Complex Sentence PatternsHSK 4

Expressing "except" and "in addition" with 除了… 以外

Use 除了… (以外), 都 to mean "except" or "apart from". The item after 除了 is excluded from a group, and 都 in the main clause emphasizes that everything else is included. 以外 is optional and can be dropped.

Use 除了… (以外), 也/还 to express "in addition to" or "besides". The item after 除了 is included, and 也 or 还 adds something else that is also true. Be careful not to mix this up with the exclusion pattern using 都.

Structure

除了 + Excluded Item (+ 以外), Subj. + 都 + …
emphasizes that all others are included except the one mentioned
除了 + Included Item (+ 以外), Subj. + 也/还 + …
adds an additional item or situation beyond the first

Examples

  • 除了他，我们都去过。
    Chú le tā, wǒ men dōu qù guò.
    Except for him, we've all been there.
  • 除了白酒，别的酒他都喝。
    Chú le bái jiǔ, bié de jiǔ tā dōu hē.
    He drinks all kinds of alcohol except baijiu.
  • 除了周末，老板每天都加班。
    Chú le zhōu mò, lǎo bǎn měi tiān dōu jiā bān.
    Except for weekends, the boss works overtime every day.
  • 除了价格以外，其他方面我们都很满意。
    Chú le jià gé yǐ wài, qí tā fāng miàn wǒ men dōu hěn mǎn yì.
    We're satisfied with all aspects except for the price.
  • 除了政治新闻以外，其他新闻我都看。
    Chú le zhèng zhì xīn wén yǐ wài, qí tā xīn wén wǒ dōu kàn.
    I read all types of news except for political news.

Words that use this