nema

Unless and Except (Nema)

Level 4

Allir komu nema ég. (Everyone came except me.) Ég kem nema það rigni. (I'll come unless it rains.)

How It Works

Except. nema itself does not decide the case. The word after it takes the same case as the word it is compared with:

  • Allir komu nema ég. (Everyone came except me.) allir is nominative, so ég is too.
  • Ég hitti alla nema hann. (I met everyone except him.) accusative, like alla
  • Öllum var boðið nema mér. (Everyone was invited except me.) dative, like öllum

It also works with time and place: Búðin er opin alla daga nema sunnudaga. (The shop is open every day except Sundays.)

Unless. Before a clause, nema means unless, and the verb is in the subjunctive:

  • Ég kem nema það rigni. (I'll come unless it rains.)
  • Þú færð ekki eftirrétt nema þú borðir matinn. (You won't get dessert unless you eat your food.)
  • Hann fór aldrei út nema honum væri boðið. (He never went out unless he was invited.) After a past main clause, use the past subjunctive.

ekki ... nema. With a negative, nema can mean only: Ég á ekki nema þúsund krónur. (I have only a thousand krónur.)

There is also a verb nema (to learn, to study), as in nemandi (student). It is a different word.

Examples (6)

  1. Allir komu nema ég.

    Everyone came except me.

    Word by Word: All came except I.

  2. Ég hitti alla nema hann.

    I met everyone except him.

    Word by Word: I met all except him.

    alla is accusative, so hann is too.

  3. Búðin er opin alla daga nema sunnudaga.

    The shop is open every day except Sundays.

    Word by Word: The-shop is open all days except Sundays.

  4. Ég kem nema það rigni.

    I'll come unless it rains.

    Word by Word: I come unless it rain.

    rigni is the present subjunctive of rigna.

  5. Þú færð ekki eftirrétt nema þú borðir matinn.

    You won't get dessert unless you eat your food.

    Word by Word: You get not dessert unless you eat the-food.

  6. Ég á ekki nema þúsund krónur.

    I only have a thousand krónur.

    Word by Word: I own not except thousand krónur.

    ekki ... nema means only.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the indicative after nema as unless.

    Ég kem nema það rignir.
    Ég kem nema það rigni.

    nema meaning unless takes the subjunctive: rigni, not rignir.

  • Using the accusative after nema out of habit.

    Allir komu nema mig.
    Allir komu nema ég.

    The word after nema takes the case of the word it contrasts with. allir is nominative, so use ég.

How It Connects

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

nemaLevel 4Unless and Except (Nema)

Learn This First

nema builds on ef and the subjunctive.

Words in This Pattern

nema