When organizing a massive event like a flash mob, everything might go exactly to plan—except for a few minor surprises! To express restrictive exceptions like "except that" or "only that", use the subordinating conjunction nur dass.
Like other clauses starting with dass, nur dass is a subordinating conjunction. This means it kicks the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause:
| The flash mob on the square was great, except that my friend was missing. | Der Flashmob auf dem Platz war toll, nur dass mein Freund fehlte. |
| The group danced synchronously, except that the music was too quiet. | Die Gruppe tanzte synchron, nur dass die Musik zu leise war. |
Minor hiccups and exceptions
You can use nur dass whenever you want to state that a situation was generally true, with one specific exception. Notice how the conjugated verb consistently lands at the very end of the nur dass clause, whether it's a simple verb or part of a past tense structure:
| Suddenly everyone had to stand still, except that a child was running. | Plötzlich mussten alle stillstehen, nur dass ein Kind rannte. |
| The execution was almost perfect, except that we forgot the umbrella. | Die Ausführung war fast perfekt, nur dass wir den Schirm vergaßen. |
| There was no confusion, except that the train was delayed. | Es gab keine Verwirrung, nur dass der Zug Verspätung hatte. |
| The atmosphere swept us along, except that we got tired. | Die Stimmung riss uns mit, nur dass wir müde wurden. |
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