Breakdown of Verstößt du gegen die Regel, scheidest du aus, außer wenn es ein Fehler war.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
du
you (informal singular)
es
it
gegen
against
der Fehler
the mistake
die Regel
the rule
verstoßen
to violate
ausscheiden
to be eliminated
außer wenn
unless
Questions & Answers about Verstößt du gegen die Regel, scheidest du aus, außer wenn es ein Fehler war.
Why is außer wenn used here instead of außer dass?
Außer wenn translates to "unless" or "except if", introducing a conditional exception to the rule. Außer dass means "except that", which introduces a factual exception to a statement (e.g., "He is nice, except that he talks too much"). Because we are talking about a condition that changes the outcome of breaking the rule, außer wenn is the correct choice.
How does außer wenn affect the word order in the final clause?
It acts as a subordinating conjunction, which sends the conjugated verb (war) to the very end of the clause. You can think of the phrase außer wenn as working together as a single block that triggers standard subordinate clause word order.
Why does the first clause start with the verb Verstößt instead of a word like Wenn?
This is a conditional clause where the word wenn (if) has been dropped. In German, when you omit wenn, the conjugated verb moves to the very first position. Verstößt du gegen die Regel means the exact same thing as Wenn du gegen die Regel verstößt, but it is a slightly more elegant or dynamic style that is very common at the B2 level.
Why does the middle part say scheidest du aus and not du scheidest aus?
Because German strictly follows the "verb-second" rule in main clauses. The entire first clause (Verstößt du gegen die Regel) counts as the first position of the overall sentence. The conjugated verb of the main clause (scheidest) must therefore take the second position, pushing the subject (du) immediately after it.
Which preposition and case does the verb verstoßen require here?
When verstoßen means "to violate" or "to break" (such as a rule or a law), it requires the preposition gegen followed by the accusative case. In this sentence, die Regel is in the accusative.
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