Using 除了 (chúle)⋯⋯ 以外 (yǐwài) will help you spruce up your sentences when you want to express "except," "besides," and "in addition." You may feel that "except" has a pretty different meaning form the other two. Well, read on!

Used as "Except"

Structure

"除了⋯⋯ (以外), 都⋯⋯ " (chúle... (yǐwài), dōu...) is a pattern used to express "except." Make a special note of the 都!

Examples

除了他，我们都去过。 Chúle tā , wǒmen dōu qù guo.Except for him, we've all been there.
除了周末，老板每天都加班。Chúle zhōumò, lǎobǎn měi tiān dōu jiābān.Except for weekends, the boss works overtime everyday.
除了价格以外，其他方面我们都很满意。 Chúle jiàgé yǐwài, qítā fāngmiàn wǒmen dōu hěn mǎnyì.Except for the price, we're satisfied with everything else.
除了白酒，别的酒他都喝。 Chúle báijiǔ, biéde jiǔ tā dōu hē.He can drink anything except white wine.
除了政治新闻以外，其他新闻我都看。 Chúle zhèngzhì xīnwén yǐwài, qítā xīnwén wǒ dōu kàn.Except for political news, I read all the types of news.

An important note is that either 除了 or 以外 (usually it's 以外) can be omitted from the sentence without losing its meaning.

Expressing "in Addition"

Structure

"除了⋯⋯ (以外), 也/还⋯⋯ " (chúle... (yǐwài), yě/hái... ) is a pattern used to express "in addition." Make a special note of the 也 or 还!

Examples

除了英语，我也会说法语和西班牙语。Chúle Yīngyǔ, wǒ yě huì shuō Fǎyǔ hé Xībānyáyǔ.In addition to English, I can also speak French and Spanish.
中国的功夫明星除了成龙，李连杰也很有名。 Zhōngguó de gōngfu míngxīng chúle Chéng Lóng, Lǐ Liánjié yě hěn yǒumíng.In addition to Jackie Chen, Jet Li is also very famous as a Chinese kung fu star.
除了运动以外，你还有什么爱好吗？Chúle yùndòng yǐwài, nǐ háiyǒu shénme àihào ma?In addition to sports, what other hobbies do you have?
除了海鲜以外，你还对什么过敏？ Chúle hǎixiān yǐwài, nǐ hái duì shénme guòmǐn?In addition to seafood, what else are you allergic to?
除了猫和狗，我小时候还养过兔子。Chúle māo hé gǒu, wǒ xiǎoshíhou hái yǎng guo tùzi.In addition to cat and dog, I also had a rabbit when I was young.

Used as "Except"

Structure

Examples

Expressing "in Addition"

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books