除咗...仲...

Besides X Also Y

Level 3Sounds Like ceoi4 zo2 . . . zung6 . . .

Use 除咗 (ceoi4 zo2) ... 仲 (zung6) to add information to a list or category. It translates to 'Besides X, also Y' or 'In addition to X, Y'.

How It Works

The structure 除咗...仲... (ceoi4 zo2... zung6...) is the standard colloquial way to express addition in Cantonese.

1. Sentence Structure:
The most common structure is:
除咗 + [Noun/Verb/Clause] + (之外/以外) + [Subject] + 仲 + [Verb Phrase]

  • 除咗 (ceoi4 zo2): The 'besides' marker.
  • 之外 (zi1 ngoi6) or 以外 (ji5 ngoi6): Optional markers meaning 'outside of'. They are often dropped in casual speech.
  • 仲 (zung6): The adverb meaning 'also' or 'still'. It normally comes after the subject in the second clause (with no subject it can start the clause, as in 仲有).

2. Subject Placement:
If the subject is the same for both parts, it can be placed at the very beginning or right before the 仲 (zung6).
Example: 佢除咗識英文，仲識法文。 (He besides knowing English, also knows French.)
Example: 除咗英文，佢仲識法文。 (Besides English, he also knows French.)

3. Different Subjects:
When adding a different person or thing to the group, the second subject follows the first clause.
Example: 除咗我，阿明仲會去。 (Besides me, Ming will also go.)

4. Inclusive vs. Exclusive:
It is vital to use 仲 (zung6) for addition. If you use 都 (dou1) instead, the meaning often flips to 'except for' (exclusive).

5. Register:
This is a highly colloquial pattern. In formal written Cantonese contexts, you might see '除了...還...' (ceoi4 liu5... waan4...), but in daily speech, 除咗...仲... is the go-to choice.

Examples (4)

  1. 除咗廣東話，佢仲識講英文。

    Besides Cantonese, he also knows how to speak English.

    Word by Word: Besides Cantonese, he also know speak English.

    Here, 'Cantonese' is the first element, and 'English' is the added element. Note that 仲 (zung6) appears after the subject 佢 (keoi5).

  2. 我除咗買咗蘋果之外，仲買咗一袋橙。

    Besides buying apples, I also bought a bag of oranges.

    Word by Word: I besides buy [perfective] apple outside, also buy [perfective] one bag orange.

    This example uses the optional 之外 (zi1 ngoi6) to bracket the first clause. It also uses the aspect marker 咗 (zo2) to show the actions are completed.

  3. 除咗返工，佢仲要湊仔，真係好忙。

    Besides working, she also has to look after the kids; she's really busy.

    Word by Word: Besides return work, she also need look-after kid, really is very busy.

    This shows the pattern used with verb phrases (working and looking after kids) rather than just nouns.

  4. 除咗你，仲有邊個知呀？

    Besides you, who else knows?

    Word by Word: Besides you, also have who know [particle]?

    When adding to a list of people, 仲有 (zung6 jau5 - 'also have') is used to mean 'who else'.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing 仲 (zung6) before the subject.

    除咗咖啡，仲我想要杯茶。
    除咗咖啡，我仲想要杯茶。

    In Cantonese, adverbs like 仲 (zung6) must follow the subject. You cannot place it at the start of the second clause before the person.

  • Using 仲 (zung6) when you mean 'except'.

    Different Meaning除咗佢，我哋仲去咗。
    除咗佢，我哋都去咗。

    除咗佢，我哋仲去咗 reads as 'Besides him, we also went', so he is included. To say the others went but he did not, use 都 (dou1): 除咗佢，我哋都去咗 (usually read as 'except for him').

How It Connects

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

除咗...仲...Level 3Besides X Also Y

Learn This First

To understand '除咗...仲...', you first need to know the basic preposition '除咗' (besides/except) and the adverb '仲' (still/also). Together, they form a correlative pair that adds information ('Besides X, also Y').

Words in This Pattern