How to say “except for”: Italian grammar lesson 44

Q: What is 'tranne' in Italian?

'Tranne' is the word to use if you want to make exceptions or express excluding something or someone.

Q: What is 'ad eccezione di' in Italian?

It's the formal way of saying 'tranne'.

Q: When to use 'tranne', 'eccetto' and 'a parte'?

'Tranne' and 'a parte' are informal and mainly used while speaking. While 'eccetto' is formal, used when writing, and often used to give instructions.

Stefano

Italian language tutor, course author. MEng, MBA. Member of the International Association of Hyperpolyglots (HYPIA). After learning 12 languages, I can tell you that we all master languages by listening and mimicking. I couldn’t find an app to recommend to my students, so I made my own one. With my method, you’ll be speaking Italian from Lesson 1.

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What does tranne mean in Italian?

Tranne: examples

What is ad eccezione di in Italian?

What’s the difference between tranne, eccetto and a parte?

Summary

Unlock the secrets of Italian exclusions with our guide on tranne! Discover how to effortlessly say “except for” in Italian and navigate through exceptions like a native speaker. 🇮🇹✨

Grasp the Basics: Tranne is your go-to word for “except for” in Italian, perfect for making exclusions in everyday conversation. 🚫
Real-Life Examples: Use tranne to exclude something specific, like “Ha invitato tutti tranne Lucia” (He invited everyone except for Lucia). 🎉
Grammar Tip: After tranne, switch to me or te instead of io and tu for a grammatically correct sentence. 📚
Formal Alternative: In more formal settings, opt for “ad eccezione di” to convey “except for,” but remember it’s a bit longer and less common. 🤵📘
Variety is Spice: Mix it up with synonyms like eccetto and a parte, which are more formal and often found in written Italian or on signs. 🌶️
Context Matters: Choose tranne or a parte for casual chats, and save eccetto for when you’re laying down the law in writing. ✍️

My thoughts

What does tranne mean in Italian?

When we make exceptions, we are excluding something or someone. In Italian, there’s a similar word to the word exception with exactly the same meaning: eccezione.

There’s also another word that doesn’t sound at all like exception and is tranne.

Interesting, right? Well, in today’s lesson, you’re going to learn how to use except for in a sentence.

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Let’s have a quick look at some examples:

Ha invitato tutti tranne Lucia.

He invited everyone except for Lucia.

Quick facts

Vado in palestra tutti i giorni tranne la domenica.

I go to the gym every day except for Sundays.

Tranne: examples

Let’s have a look at some more examples:

C’erano tutti tranne me.

Everyone was there except for me.

Ho letto tutti i capitoli tranne l’ultimo.

I read all chapters except for the last one.

Mi piacciono tutte le materie tranne la matematica.

I like all subjects except for mathematics.

Tutti hanno accettato tranne te.

Everyone accepted, except for you.

As you can see in the examples above, after tranne we usually say me and te, instead of io and tu.

What is ad eccezione di in Italian?

There’s also another way of saying tranne but it’s much longer, less common, and used in formal environments.

Depending on what follows this expression, we might say ad eccezione del, della, dello, dell’, dei, delle, degli.

Here are some examples:

Hanno assistito tutti alla conferenza ad eccezione di Marco.

Everyone attended the conference except for Marco.

Dovete leggere tutti gli articoli ad eccezione del primo.

You have to read all articles except for the first one.

What’s the difference between tranne, eccetto and a parte?

If you want to say except for you can also use the words eccetto and a parte. But what is the difference between them?

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Tranne, a parte, and eccetto all have the same meaning but are sometimes used in different contexts.

Tranne and a parte are more informal and mainly used while speaking.
Eccetto is more formal, used in written Italian, and is often used to give rules.

For example, on road signs you never write tranne bus but eccetto bus.

Here are some more examples:

Sono bravo in tutte le materie, tranne o a parte l’inglese.

I’m good in all subjects, except or apart from English.

Tollero tutto, eccetto l’ignoranza.

I tolerate everything except ignorance.

FAQs

What is "tranne" in Italian?

"Tranne" is the word to use if you want to make exceptions or express excluding something or someone.

What is "ad eccezione di" in Italian?

It's the formal way of saying "tranne".

When to use "tranne", "eccetto" and "a parte"?

"Tranne" and "a parte" are informal and mainly used while speaking. While "eccetto" is formal, used when writing, and often used to give instructions.