除了 + A + 以外, + 都/也/还 + B
除了...以外 (chúle...yǐwài) — 'except for' vs 'besides, in addition to'
除了 A 以外 introduces A as either an EXCEPTION or an ADDITION, and the word that follows in the second clause is what tells you which: pair it with 都/全 (all) to mean 'except for A, everything else B' — 除了小明以外，大家都来了 (everyone came except Xiaoming); pair it with 也/还 (also/too) to mean 'besides A, B (too)' — 除了英语以外，他还会说法语 (besides English, he can also speak French). 以外 can be dropped in casual speech (除了小明，大家都来了), but 除了 itself is required. The deciding question: does what follows 除了...以外 exclude that item from a group (→都/全), or add another item on top of it (→也/还)? Getting the second-clause word wrong flips the entire meaning of the sentence.
Examples
- 除了小明以外，大家都来了。chú le xiǎo míng yǐ wài, dà jiā dōu lái le
Everyone came except Xiaoming.
- 除了英语以外，他还会说法语。chú le yīng yǔ yǐ wài, tā hái huì shuō fǎ yǔ
Besides English, he can also speak French.
- 除了打篮球以外，他也喜欢游泳，可是除了他以外，我们都不喜欢运动。chú le dǎ lán qiú yǐ wài, tā yě xǐ huan yóu yǒng, kě shì chú le tā yǐ wài, wǒ men dōu bù xǐ huan yùn dòng
Besides playing basketball, he also likes swimming, but except for him, none of us like sports.
Common mistake
✗ Wrong: 除了小明以外，大家也来了。
✓ Right: 除了小明以外，大家都来了。
To exclude Xiaoming from the group that came, the second clause needs 都 (everyone else did) — 也 would instead mean Xiaoming came too, which contradicts 'except for'.
Practice this pattern
Fill in the missing character:
＿了小明以外，大家都来了。
Everyone came except Xiaoming.