хіба што

Except Perhaps with Хіба Што

Level 6Sounds Like híba što

Хіба што means except perhaps or unless: Прыходзь у любы дзень, хіба што не ў нядзелю. (Come any day, except perhaps Sunday.)

How It Works

Хіба што adds a possible exception to a general statement. It sounds a little tentative: the speaker is not quite sure about the exception.

Except perhaps. After a broad or negative statement it names what may be left: Тут ніхто не жыве, хіба што птушкі. (Nobody lives here, except maybe birds.)

Unless. Before a verb it gives the one condition that could spoil the plan: Я прыйду, хіба што захварэю. (I will come, unless I get sick.) The idea of if not is already in хіба што, so the verb stays positive. For an ordinary condition, use калі.

As a short answer. On its own it means maybe just: — Што ў нас ёсць на вячэру? — Хіба што бульба.

Spelling. Write it as two words: хіба што. Хіба толькі means the same.

Do not confuse it with question хіба (really?), which shows surprise or doubt at the start of a question. For a firm exception, use акрамя.

Examples (5)

  1. Прыходзь у любы дзень, хіба што не ў нядзелю.

    Come any day, except perhaps Sunday.

    Word by Word: Come on any day, perhaps that not on Sunday.

  2. Тут ніхто не жыве, хіба што птушкі.

    Nobody lives here, except maybe birds.

    Word by Word: Here nobody not lives, perhaps that birds.

  3. Я прыйду, хіба што захварэю.

    I will come, unless I get sick.

    Word by Word: I will-come, perhaps that I-fall-ill.

  4. — Што ў нас ёсць на вячэру? — Хіба што бульба.

    "What do we have for dinner?" "Just potatoes, maybe."

    Word by Word: What at us is for dinner? Perhaps that potatoes.

  5. Ён амаль нічога не чытае, хіба што навіны ў тэлефоне.

    He hardly reads anything, except maybe the news on his phone.

    Word by Word: He almost nothing not reads, perhaps that news in phone.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding не when хіба што means unless.

    Я прыйду, хіба што не захварэю.
    Я прыйду, хіба што захварэю.

    The intended meaning is I will come unless I get sick. Хіба што already means if not, so a negated verb reverses the meaning.

  • Writing хіба што as one word or with a hyphen.

    Прыходзь у любы дзень, хібашто не ў нядзелю.
    Прыходзь у любы дзень, хіба што не ў нядзелю.

    The 2008 rules write the parts of хіба што separately.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

хіба штоLevel 6Except Perhaps with Хіба Што

Learn This First

Except perhaps needs хіба and акрамя.

Words in This Pattern

хібахіба