maliban sa

Except for

Level 3

Maliban sa is the standard way to say 'except for' in Filipino. It is used to point out an exception to a general statement.

How It Works

In the phrase maliban sa, the word maliban is a compound of the prefix ma- and the root liban (to skip/miss), which pairs with the marker sa. It is highly versatile and used in both casual and formal contexts. You can also use the equally formal variant liban sa, while in everyday casual speech, you will often hear puwera sa (or pwera sa). You must choose the correct marker to follow it:

  • maliban sa: Used for common nouns, demonstratives (e.g., dito), and the oblique (sa-form) of personal pronouns (e.g., kaniya). Note that focused (ang-form) pronouns like ako or nonfocused (ng-form) pronouns like ko cannot be used with maliban sa; only the oblique (sa-form) pronouns like akin, iyo, or kanila are correct. However, the casual variant puwera frequently drops the sa and directly takes ang-form pronouns (e.g., Puwera ako).
  • maliban kay: Used for a single person's name (using kay).
  • maliban kina: Used for multiple specific people (using kina).

In more complex sentences, you might see maliban kung, as well as the extremely common everyday spoken forms maliban na lang kung and puwera na lang kung (or pwera na lang kung), which translate to 'unless' and introduce a condition rather than just a noun phrase.

Examples (5)

  1. Lahat ng prutas ay gusto ko, maliban sa durian.

    I like all fruits, except for durian.

    Word by Word: All of fruit [marker] like I, except for durian.

    Here, 'durian' is excluded from the general set of 'all fruits' using 'maliban sa'.

  2. Maliban kay Sarah, wala nang ibang nakakaalam ng sikreto.

    Except for Sarah, no one else knows the secret.

    Word by Word: Except for Sarah, none already other knowing of secret.

    Since Sarah is a person's name, we use 'maliban kay' instead of 'maliban sa'.

  3. Bukas ang tindahan araw-araw maliban sa Linggo.

    The store is open every day except for Sunday.

    Word by Word: Open the store day-day except for Sunday.

    This shows a common usage for schedules, excluding a specific day of the week.

  4. Wala kaming ibang gagawin maliban sa magpahinga.

    We have nothing else to do except to rest.

    Word by Word: None we-exclusive other will-do except for to-rest.

    In this case, 'maliban sa' is followed by a verb acting as a noun (resting).

  5. Maliban kina Juan at Maria, lahat ay dumating sa oras.

    Except for Juan and Maria, everyone arrived on time.

    Word by Word: Except for [plural name marker] Juan and Maria, all [marker] arrived on time.

    We use 'maliban kina' because we are excluding a plural group of specific people.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing 'maliban sa' (exclusion) with 'bukod sa' (inclusion).

    Maliban sa Tagalog, marunong din ako ng Ingles.
    Bukod sa Tagalog, marunong din ako ng Ingles.

    If you mean 'In addition to Tagalog, I also know English,' you must use 'bukod sa'. Using 'maliban sa' would mean you know English but NOT Tagalog.

  • Using 'sa' for personal names.

    Maliban sa Maria, lahat ay narito.
    Maliban kay Maria, lahat ay narito.

    Personal names require the personal oblique marker 'kay' or 'kina' rather than the general marker 'sa'.

How It Connects

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

maliban saLevel 3Except for

Learn This First

To understand 'maliban sa', you need to be familiar with the oblique marker 'sa', which indicates the object being excluded. It is also helpful to understand the quantifier 'lahat' (all), as this pattern is typically used to define an exception within a complete set.

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Words in This Pattern

maliban samaliban