Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| außer | /ˈaʊ̯sɐ/ |
| aber nicht | /ˈaːbɐ nɪçt/ (word by word) |
| als | /als/ |
When you want to express the exclusion of someone or something from a group, use außer. Note that other German words like dennoch (nevertheless), allerdings (however) and obwohl (although) have different meanings and should not be used for 'except'.
Which one should you use?
The forms in this pack serve different purposes. Use außer for the sense of 'except'. The form als is used for comparisons (than) or temporal sequences (when) and is not a substitute for 'except'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The preposition außer always requires the dative case for the noun or pronoun that follows it.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈaʊ̯sɐ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use als to mean 'except' in the sense of 'excluding', but als is used for comparisons (than) or temporal sequences (when).
Did you know?
- The German word aber actually comes from a word meaning 'behind' or 'from behind'.
- In the Bavarian dialect, the word for 'but' is spoken as owa instead of aber.
Examples in context
- Außer ihm lachten alle.Everyone but him laughed.This sentence shows how to use außer to exclude a person from a group.Tatoeba #1975896 by Esperantostern, translation #11042123 by sundown
- Alle lachten – außer Tom.Everybody laughed but Tom.This sentence demonstrates using außer at the end of a sentence to exclude a person.Tatoeba #2996732 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2996336 by CK
- Außer uns war niemand da.No one but us was there.This sentence illustrates the use of außer to show no one was present except a specific group.Tatoeba #12264628 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #12263907 by sundown
- Ich liebe Schokolade, aber ich sollte weniger davon essen.I love chocolate, but I should eat less of it.
- Die Präsentation war gut gemacht, jedoch fehlten einige wichtige Informationen.The presentation was well done, however, some important information was missing.
- Das Festival war großartig, bloß das Essen hätte besser sein können.The festival was great, but the food could have been better.
- 1243 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Felix are planning a small hiking trip.
- JuliaWas müssen wir für die Wanderung mitnehmen?What do we need to take for the hike?
- FelixAußer einem Rucksack brauchen wir nichts.Except for a backpack, we need nothing.
- JuliaUnd was ist mit Essen?And what about food?
- FelixAußer Äpfeln müssen wir nichts kaufen.Except for apples, we don't need to buy anything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “but” translations and entries außer, als, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (aber, nicht) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aber, als, außer, nicht, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
