Learn French: Ce village est isolé, à part un vieux chemin. - This village is isolated, apart from an old path.

Ce village est isolé, à part un vieux chemin.

This village is isolated, apart from an old path.

Breakdown of Ce village est isolé, à part un vieux chemin.

Questions & Answers about Ce village est isolé, à part un vieux chemin.

Could I use sauf instead of à part in this sentence?

Yes, you could say sauf un vieux chemin (except an old path). Sauf (except) and à part (apart from) are largely interchangeable when excluding something. However, à part can sometimes feel a bit softer, introducing an exception as an afterthought, whereas sauf often implies a stricter exclusion.

Would à part change its spelling if we were talking about multiple paths?

No. Because à part functions as a preposition here, it is invariable, meaning it never changes to match the gender or number of the noun that follows it. It would still be à part even if you said à part des vieux chemins (apart from some old paths).

Why is it vieux chemin and not vieil chemin?

Both vieux and vieil mean "old" for masculine singular nouns, but vieil is only used before a vowel or a mute h (like un vieil homme). Since chemin starts with a consonant, we use vieux. Also, remember that age adjectives come before the noun they describe.

Why use chemin here instead of route?