nebent

Unless with Nebent

Level 5

Nebent = unless or except perhaps. It names the one exception: Ateisiu, nebent kas nors pasikeistų.

How It Works

1. Unless + clause. The clause can be in any tense that fits:

  • present: Paprastai einu į darbą pėsčiomis, nebent lyja.
  • future: Ateisiu, nebent susirgsiu. (I’ll come, unless I get ill.)
  • conditional, for a hypothetical exception: Ateisiu, nebent kas nors pasikeistų.

2. Except perhaps + word or phrase. The phrase keeps the form it would have in the main clause: Jis niekur neina, nebent į parduotuvę (į + accusative, as after eiti). Šiandien niekas nedirba, nebent budintis gydytojas (nominative, like niekas).

3. Nebent, jei ne and išskyrus. Ateisiu, nebent susirgsiu means the same as Ateisiu, jei nesusirgsiu. In this pair, jei takes ne-, while nebent does not. Išskyrus states a sure exception, while nebent leaves some doubt: except perhaps.

4. Punctuation. A comma comes before nebent when it adds an exception to a sentence.

Examples (6)

  1. Ateisiu, nebent kas nors pasikeistų.

    I will come, unless something changes.

    The conditional presents the exception as hypothetical.

  2. Jis niekur neina, nebent į parduotuvę.

    He doesn’t go anywhere, except perhaps to the shop.

  3. Paprastai einu į darbą pėsčiomis, nebent lyja.

    I usually walk to work, unless it’s raining.

  4. Niekas tau nepadės, nebent tu pats.

    Nobody will help you, except perhaps you yourself.

  5. Susitiksime šeštadienį, nebent tau netinka.

    We’ll meet on Saturday, unless it doesn’t suit you.

    Here the exception itself is negative: it does not suit you.

  6. Šiandien niekas nedirba, nebent budintis gydytojas.

    Nobody is working today, except perhaps the doctor on duty.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the comma before nebent.

    Ateisiu nebent kas nors pasikeistų.
    Ateisiu, nebent kas nors pasikeistų.

    Nebent adds an exception to the sentence, so a comma comes before it.

  • Adding a negative when you mean unless something happens.

    Ateisiu, nebent niekas nepasikeis.
    Ateisiu, nebent kas nors pasikeis.

    Nebent already means unless. With the extra negative the sentence says I’ll come unless nothing changes, which is the opposite of what was meant.

How It Connects

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

nebentLevel 5Unless with Nebent

Learn This First

Nebent introduces the exception that could change a statement's result.

Words in This Pattern

nebent