Außer

Außer is a German preposition and adverb with the core senses “outside” and “except/besides.” As a preposition it introduces the element that is excluded or included in addition to the rest and governs the dative case. Examples: “alle außer mir” (everyone except me), “niemand außer dir” (nobody except you). The expression is versatile and can denote both exclusion and inclusion depending on context.

As an adverb, außer can indicate spatial relation in some uses, but it is more commonly found in fixed phrases and idioms. Typical formations include stärker gebräuchliche collocations such as außer Betrieb, meaning out of service, and außer Frage, meaning out of the question or undoubted. A well-known idiom is “Das steht außer Frage,” used to assert that something is not open to debate. Another common phrase is “außer Betrieb gehen” or “außer Betrieb setzen,” describing equipment going out of service or being taken out of service.

Grammatical note: when außer introduces a noun or pronoun, it is followed by the dative case (e.g., außer mir, außer dir, außer ihnen). In everyday language, außer often pairs with a broad range of nouns and pronouns to mark exceptions, alternatives, or additions to a group.

Etymology and related forms: außer is related to other exterior terms in German, such as außen and außerhalb, sharing the general sense of “outside” or “external.” The word has a long-standing presence in standard German and remains common in both spoken and written language.

See also: außer Ordnung, außer Betrieb, außer Frage, außer Betrieb setzen.