除了 ... (以外)，还/也 ...
Reach for this when you want to add an extra item to a set — 'besides A, also B.' You name one thing first, then point out something else that's also true. Use it for hobbies ('besides reading, I also like running'), foods, languages, people in a group, or extra abilities of an object. The 以外 is optional in speech and often dropped; 还 and 也 both work in the second clause, with 还 slightly stronger.
Structure
除了 [A] (以外)，[SUBJECT] 还/也 [B]
chúle... (yǐwài)，hái/yě...
How to Think About It
Think 'A is just the start, there's also B.' The 除了 clause is NOT excluding A — it's setting A as the starting point that the listener already knows about. The 还/也 then opens the door to additional information. English 'besides' has this same dual life ('besides eating, he also slept' = in addition), so it usually maps cleanly — but 除了 with 都 instead of 还/也 flips the meaning to 'except for' (exclusion).
Examples
除了英语，他还会说中文。
Chúle Yīngyǔ, tā hái huì shuō Zhōngwén.
Besides English, he can also speak Chinese.
除了游泳以外，我也喜欢跑步。
Chúle yóuyǒng yǐwài, wǒ yě xǐhuān pǎobù.
Besides swimming, I also like running.
除了小李，还有两个人也想去。
Chúle Xiǎo Lǐ, hái yǒu liǎng gè rén yě xiǎng qù.
Besides Xiao Li, two other people also want to go.
Common Mistake
Learners forget to put 还 or 也 in the second clause, assuming 除了 alone carries the 'also' meaning. Without 还/也, the sentence reads as exclusion ('except for A') and confuses the listener.
除了米饭，他喜欢吃面条。
除了米饭，他还喜欢吃面条。
Don't Confuse With
除了 ... 都 ...
Means 'except for A, all the rest...'. Same opening, opposite meaning. '除了小李，大家都来了' (Except for Xiao Li, everyone came). The 都 in the second clause flips it from 'also' to 'except'.
不但……而且……
Also means 'not only... but also...', but the first clause is a positive statement, not a known set member. 不但 is a stronger written-feel connective; 除了……还/也 is conversational and friendlier.
另外……
Just 'additionally' between two separate sentences. Doesn't bind A and B into one expression. Use 除了……还/也 when you want A and B inside one sentence.
Practice
____了北京，我还去过上海。
Show answer
除
除了咖啡，他____喜欢喝茶。
Show answer
也
Put in order: [还会 / 除了 / 弹钢琴 / 跳舞 / 她 / ，]
Show answer
除了跳舞，她还会弹钢琴。
Translate to Chinese: 'Besides Beijing, I have also been to Tokyo.'
Show answer
除了北京，我还去过东京。
Write a sentence about two things you like to do, using 除了……，还/也……
Show answer
Example answer: 除了看电影，我也喜欢听音乐。 (Besides watching movies, I also like listening to music.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: