외에(는) (Besides/Except)

외에(는) means "besides," "except for," or "other than." It can express both addition (in addition to) and exception (except for), depending on context.

Structure

Pattern: Noun + 외에(는)

Breakdown:

• 외: Outside / Beyond
• -에: Location particle
• -는: Topic particle (optional, adds emphasis)

Literal meaning: "Outside of / Beyond [noun]"

Formation

Basic Pattern

Noun + 외에:

• 나 → 나 외에 (besides me / except me)
• 이것 → 이것 외에 (besides this / except this)
• 월요일 → 월요일 외에 (besides Monday / except Monday)
• 친구 → 친구 외에 (besides friends / except friends)

With 는 (Emphasis)

Noun + 외에는:

• 나 → 나 외에는 (except me - emphatic)
• 이것 → 이것 외에는 (except this - emphatic)
• 여기 → 여기 외에는 (except here - emphatic)

Adds emphasis on the exception

Two Main Meanings

Meaning 1: Besides / In addition to

When adding information:

Context clues:

• Used with positive statements
• Lists additional items
• "Also" or "in addition"

Examples:

• 한국어 외에 영어도 해요 (Besides Korean, I also speak English)
• 이것 외에 저것도 샀어요 (Besides this, I also bought that)
• 공부 외에 운동도 해요 (Besides studying, I also exercise)
• 월요일 외에 수요일도 일해요 (Besides Monday, I also work Wednesday)

Meaning 2: Except / Other than

When excluding:

Context clues:

• Used with negative statements
• Emphasizes exclusion
• "Only" or "nothing but"

Examples:

• 이것 외에는 없어요 (There's nothing except this / Only this)
• 나 외에는 아무도 안 왔어요 (No one came except me)
• 여기 외에는 갈 곳이 없어요 (There's nowhere to go except here)
• 월요일 외에는 안 열어요 (We're not open except Monday)

Context Determines Meaning

Addition Context (Also/Besides)

Positive verb + 외에:

Examples:

• 책 외에 펜도 있어요 (Besides books, there are also pens)
• 서울 외에 부산도 가요 (Besides Seoul, I also go to Busan)
• 일 외에 취미도 있어요 (Besides work, I also have hobbies)

Exception Context (Except/Only)

Negative verb + 외에는:

Examples:

• 책 외에는 없어요 (There's nothing except books)
• 서울 외에는 안 가요 (I don't go anywhere except Seoul)
• 일 외에는 안 해요 (I don't do anything except work)

The particle -는 and negative verb signal exception

Politeness Levels

Formal (합니다체)

Examples:

• 이것 외에 다른 것도 있습니다 (Besides this, there are other things too)
• 월요일 외에는 영업하지 않습니다 (We don't operate except Monday)
• 한국어 외에 중국어도 공부합니다 (Besides Korean, I also study Chinese)

Polite (해요체)

Examples:

• 이것 외에 저것도 있어요 (Besides this, there's also that)
• 나 외에는 아무도 없어요 (There's no one except me)
• 커피 외에 차도 마셔요 (Besides coffee, I also drink tea)

Casual (반말)

Examples:

• 이거 외에 다른 것도 있어 (Besides this, there are other things too)
• 너 외에는 아무도 없어 (There's no one except you)
• 공부 외에 뭐 해? (What do you do besides study?)

Common Patterns

With 아무도/아무것도 (No one/Nothing)

Emphasizing "only/nothing but":

Examples:

• 너 외에는 아무도 몰라 (No one knows except you)
• 이것 외에는 아무것도 없어요 (There's nothing except this)
• 여기 외에는 아무 데도 안 가요 (I don't go anywhere except here)

With 다른/또 (Other/Also)

Adding items:

Examples:

• 이것 외에 다른 것도 있어요 (Besides this, there are other things)
• 월요일 외에 또 언제 와요? (Besides Monday, when else are you coming?)
• 한국 외에 다른 나라도 가요 (Besides Korea, I also go to other countries)

Listing Multiple Items

Pattern: A 외에 B도, C도

Examples:

• 사과 외에 바나나도, 딸기도 샀어요 (Besides apples, I also bought bananas and strawberries)
• 서울 외에 부산도, 제주도도 가요 (Besides Seoul, I also go to Busan and Jeju)

Comparing 외에 vs. 외에는

외에 (Neutral)

Can mean either besides or except:

• Context determines meaning
• Less emphatic
• More neutral

Examples:

• 나 외에 누가 와요? (Besides me, who's coming? - addition)
• 나 외에 아무도 없어요 (There's no one except me - exception, but less emphatic)

외에는 (Emphatic exception)

Strongly emphasizes "only/except":

• Usually with negative
• More emphatic
• Clear exclusion

Examples:

• 나 외에는 아무도 없어요 (There's no one except me - emphatic)
• 이것 외에는 필요 없어요 (I don't need anything except this - emphatic)

Time Expressions

Days

Examples:

• 월요일 외에 금요일도 쉬어요 (Besides Monday, I also rest on Friday)
• 주말 외에는 안 쉬어요 (I don't rest except weekends)
• 오늘 외에 내일도 와요 (Besides today, come tomorrow too)

Periods

Examples:

• 여름 외에 겨울도 좋아요 (Besides summer, I also like winter)
• 방학 외에는 바빠요 (I'm busy except during vacation)
• 아침 외에 저녁도 먹어요 (Besides breakfast, I also eat dinner)

Place Expressions

Locations

Examples:

• 서울 외에 부산도 가요 (Besides Seoul, I also go to Busan)
• 여기 외에는 없어요 (It's not available except here)
• 집 외에 학교도 가요 (Besides home, I also go to school)

People

Specific People

Examples:

• 나 외에 친구도 와요 (Besides me, my friend is also coming)
• 선생님 외에는 아무도 몰라요 (No one knows except the teacher)
• 부모님 외에 누가 있어요? (Who else is there besides parents?)

Groups

Examples:

• 학생들 외에 선생님도 왔어요 (Besides students, the teacher also came)
• 직원들 외에는 입장 불가예요 (Entry not allowed except employees)

Subject/Object Usage

As Topic/Subject

Pattern: [Noun] 외에(는) + [Verb]

Examples:

• 이것 외에는 안 팔려요 (This is the only thing selling / Nothing sells except this)
• 월요일 외에는 안 열어요 (We don't open except Monday)

As Object

Pattern: [Noun] 외에(는) + [Object] + [Verb]

Examples:

• 이것 외에 다른 것을 사세요 (Besides this, buy other things)
• 커피 외에 차를 마셔요 (Besides coffee, drink tea)

Related Expressions

-밖에 (Only/Nothing but)

Always with negative:

• Stronger emphasis on "only"
• Must use negative verb
• More restrictive

Comparison:

• 이것 외에는 없어요 (There's nothing except this)
• 이것밖에 없어요 (There's only this - stronger)

외에는 can sometimes be replaced with 밖에, but 밖에 is stronger.

-말고 (Instead of/Other than)

Suggesting alternatives:

Comparison:

• 이것 외에 주세요 (Besides this, give me [something else too])
• 이것 말고 주세요 (Give me something other than this - preference)

-를/을 제외하고 (Excluding)

More formal exclusion:

Comparison:

• 월요일 외에는 열어요 (We're open except Monday - neutral)
• 월요일을 제외하고 열어요 (We're open excluding Monday - formal)

Question Forms

Asking "Besides X?"

Pattern: [Noun] 외에 [Question]?

Examples:

• 이것 외에 뭐가 있어요? (Besides this, what else is there?)
• 월요일 외에 언제 와요? (Besides Monday, when are you coming?)
• 너 외에 누가 와? (Besides you, who's coming?)
• 여기 외에 어디 가요? (Besides here, where are you going?)

Negative Questions

Asking if there's nothing else:

Examples:

• 이것 외에는 없어요? (Is there nothing except this?)
• 오늘 외에는 안 돼요? (Is it not possible except today?)

Emphasis Patterns

Adding 그 외에 (Besides that)

Continuing a list:

Examples:

• 책을 샀어요. 그 외에 펜도 샀어요 (I bought a book. Besides that, I also bought a pen)
• 한국어를 공부해요. 그 외에 영어도 배워요 (I study Korean. Besides that, I also learn English)

With 다만 (However/But)

Adding exception:

Examples:

• 모두 참석해요. 다만, 팀장님 외에는요 (Everyone attends. However, except the team leader)

Negation Patterns

Double Negation

외에는 + negative = "only":

Examples:

• 이것 외에는 안 좋아해요 (I don't like anything except this = I only like this)
• 한국어 외에는 못 해요 (I can't do anything except Korean = I can only do Korean)
• 여기 외에는 안 가요 (I don't go anywhere except here = I only go here)

Cultural Notes

Politeness in Exceptions

Being polite about exclusions:

Examples:

• 실례지만, 저 외에는 안 되나요? (Excuse me, but is it not possible except me?)
• 죄송하지만, 이것 외에는 없어요 (Sorry, but there's nothing except this)

Humble Inclusions

Including yourself humbly:

Examples:

• 저 외에 다른 분들도 도와주셨어요 (Besides me, other people also helped - sharing credit)

Summary Table

Pattern	Meaning	Context	Example	Translation
외에	Besides/Except	Neutral	이것 외에 저것도	Besides this, also that
외에는	Except (emphatic)	With negative	이것 외에는 없어요	Nothing except this
외에 + positive	Besides/In addition	Adding	커피 외에 차도 마셔요	Besides coffee, drink tea too
외에 + negative	Except/Only	Excluding	커피 외에는 안 마셔요	Don't drink except coffee
그 외에	Besides that	Continuing	그 외에 뭐가 있어요?	Besides that, what else?

Key point: 외에(는) is a versatile expression that can mean both "besides" (addition) and "except" (exclusion) depending on context. The presence of -는 and negative verbs usually signals exception, while positive contexts suggest addition.