Breakdown of Alles wird akzeptiert, außer dass der Kandidat schummelt.
alles
everything
schummeln
to cheat
werden
to be (passive auxiliary + past participle)
akzeptieren
to accept
der Kandidat
the candidate
außer dass
except that
Questions & Answers about Alles wird akzeptiert, außer dass der Kandidat schummelt.
Why use außer dass here instead of außer wenn?
außer dass translates to "except that" and introduces a factual exception or a specific circumstance that is excluded. außer wenn means "unless" or "except if" and introduces a condition. Here, the sentence points to the specific unacceptable action of cheating rather than a hypothetical condition, though the difference can be subtle!
Does außer dass always push the verb to the end of the sentence?
Yes. Because dass is a subordinating conjunction, it kicks the conjugated verb (schummelt) to the very end of its clause. The word außer just sits in front of dass to modify its meaning, but the clause itself behaves exactly like a standard dass clause.
Why is the first part of the sentence wird akzeptiert and not ist akzeptiert?
This is the process passive (Vorgangspassiv), formed with werden plus a past participle. It focuses on the action taking place: things are actively being accepted. If you used ist akzeptiert (the state passive), it would describe a finished state, meaning "Everything is already accepted."
Why does Alles take the singular verb wird?
In German, the indefinite pronoun alles (everything) is always grammatically singular, just like the word "everything" is in English. Therefore, it requires the singular third-person verb conjugation.
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