Abgesehen

Abgesehen is a participle form used in German, derived from the verb absehen, which originally means to foresee or anticipate. In contemporary usage, however, abgesehen primarily appears in fixed phrases that express exceptions or contrasts, most notably in the prepositional construction abgesehen von and in the adverbial phrase davon abgesehen or abgesehen davon.

Usage and meaning

The most common expression is abgesehen von, followed by a noun in the dative case. This construction means apart from, with the exception of, or excluding something. Examples: Abgesehen von dem Wetter war der Tag angenehm. Abgesehen von einem kleinen Fehler ist der Bericht gut. The phrase signals that all statements apply except for the mentioned exception. Another frequent form is davon abgesehen oder abgesehen davon, used to introduce a contrasting remark or an additional consideration. Example: Davon abgesehen, dass der Plan teuer ist, erscheint er sinnvoll.

Grammar and nuance

Abgesehen is not used as a standalone noun; it functions as a participle in fixed expressions. When it begins a sentence, normal capitalization applies: Abgesehen von dem Wetter war der Tag angenehm. The expressions abgesehen von and davon abgesehen are versatile and suitable for both formal and informal contexts, though they are generally preferred in written and careful speech over synonyms such as außer or ausgenommen.

Etymology

The term comes from absehen, with the prefix ab- indicating removal or separation. In the development of German, abgesehen evolved into a standard part of idiomatic phrases that demarcate exceptions rather than a literal predictive sense.

Related terms

Synonyms include außer and ausgenommen, though these can carry slightly different nuances and stronger emphasis on exclusion. Abgesehen wird often used in a neutral, explanatory register.