Omitting 除了 or 以外

The next thing to note about 除了…以外 is that one half of it is often left out. So you'll often see or hear sentences with just 除了 or just 以外, and not both. The structure is still the same, it's just that one part has been skipped out.

Have a look at some example sentences:

除了法国，我们也想去西班牙。

Chúle Fǎguó, wǒmen yě xiǎng qù Xībānyá.

As well as France, we'd also like to go Spain.

春节以外，中国还有什么节日？

Chūnjié yǐwài, Zhōngguó hái yǒu shénme jiérì?

Apart from Spring Festival, what other holidays does China have?

银河系以外，还有多少星系？

Yínhéxì yǐwài, hái yǒu duōshǎo xīngxì?

Apart from the Milky Way, what other galaxies are there?

除了我们地球，太阳系还有七个星球。

Chúle wǒmen Dìqiú, Tàiyángxì hái yǒu qī gè xīngqiú.

There are seven more planets in the Solar System besides Earth.

That turned a bit astronomical for some reason! And before anyone complains about the accuracy of that last sentence: Pluto is not a planet! Anyway, just remember that either 除了 or 以外 can often be omitted from a sentence.

除了…以外 with various adverbs

We described the different functions of 除了…以外 (inclusive and exclusive) above, and you might have noticed that the important difference is the adverb that comes afterwards. In other words, what the sentence means centres around that adverb!

With that in mind, let's have a look at four different adverbs that you might use after 除了…以外. Three of them were already covered above, but it can't hurt to get some more example sentences for them!

都 (dōu)

As mentioned above, using 都 after 除了…以外 makes it exclusive. 都 means “all”, so you're saying “apart from X, Y all…". Have a look at a couple more example sentences:

除了我以外，大家都吃过饭了。

Chúle wǒ yǐwài, dàjiā dōu chīguò fànle.

Apart from me, everyone has eaten.

除了她以外，其他人都穿着牛仔裤。

Chúle tā yǐwài, qítā rén dōu chuānzhe niúzǎikù.

Except for her, everyone was wearing jeans.

So, 都 makes a 除了…以外 sentence exclusive. It's equivalent to “except for” or “apart from” in English.

还 (hái)

If you follow 除了…以外 with 还, it becomes inclusive. This is  because 还 means “still” or “also”. You're saying “As well as X, Y _also  _does something.” Have a look at some more example sentences:

除了钱以外，他还担心他的健康。

Chúle qián yǐwài, tā hái dānxīn tā de jiànkāng.

As well as money, he also worries about his health.

除了丈夫以外，她还有一个情人。

Chúle zhàngfū yǐwài, tā hái yǒu yīgè nán qíngrén.

As well as her husband, she also has a lover.

除了能力以外，我还缺乏耐心。

Chúle nénglì yǐwài, wǒ hái quēfá nàixīn.

As well as ability, I also lack patience.

Hopefully you can now see how the adverb that comes after 除了…以外 determines whether it's inclusive or exclusive.

也 (yě)

As well as 还, you can also use 也 to express inclusion*. Some examples:

除了学生以外，老师也在这里吃饭。

Chúle xuéshēng yǐwài, lǎoshī yě zài zhèlǐ chīfàn.

As well as students, teachers also eat here.

他除了抱怨以外，什么也没做。

Tā chúle bàoyuàn yǐwài, shénme yě méi zuò.

He did nothing but complain.

You might have noticed that the first sentence could be interpreted  differently if you have a devious mind. Rather than meaning “apart from  students, teachers also eat here”, it could mean “as well as food,  teachers also eat students here”! Don't worry though, most people would  interpret it the first way!

• For those who spotted that this is an inclusive sentence and were  wondering how to say it in Chinese, you could phrase it like this:

除了“还”以外，还可以用“也”来表达包含的意思。

Chúle “hái” yǐwài, hái kěyǐ yòng “yě” lái biǎodá bāohán de yìsi.

As well as 还, you can also use 也 to express inclusion.

Don't worry if that sentence is a bit tricky though, we just included it for those who might be curious.

又 (yòu)

Finally, you can also use 又 with 除了…以外. This literally means “again”  or “then”, but is often more like “also” in these sentences. Have a look  at some examples:

除了在家里喝的红酒，我又喝了四杯啤酒。

Chúle zài jiālǐ hē de hóngjiǔ, wǒ yòu hēle sì bēi píjiǔ.

Apart from the red wine I drank at home, I also had four beers.

除了举重以外，我今天又跑了一会儿步。

Chúle jǔzhòng yǐwài, wǒ jīntiān yòu pǎole yīhuìr bù.

Apart from lifting weights, I also went running for a while today.

除了这个以外，又没有什么好办法。

Chúle zhège yǐwài, yòu méiyǒu shénme hǎo bànfǎ.

Apart from this, there aren't any good options.

Like 还 and 也, 又 forms inclusive sentences with 除了…以外.