Breakdown of Du darfst den roten Knopf nicht drücken, außer wenn du den Hauptgewinn willst.
du
you (informal singular)
nicht
not
wollen
to want
dürfen
to be allowed to, may
rot
red
der Knopf
the button
außer wenn
unless
drücken
to press
der Hauptgewinn
the jackpot
Questions & Answers about Du darfst den roten Knopf nicht drücken, außer wenn du den Hauptgewinn willst.
Why do we use außer wenn here instead of außer dass?
außer wenn expresses a condition, translating to 'unless' or 'except if' (if you want the jackpot, you can press it). außer dass means 'except that' and introduces a stated fact rather than a condition, for example: Ich weiß nichts, außer dass der Knopf rot ist (I don't know anything, except that the button is red).
Does außer wenn always send the verb to the end of the sentence?
Yes. Just like a standard wenn clause, außer wenn acts as a subordinating conjunction. This means it kicks the conjugated verb (willst) all the way to the end of its clause.
Can I use es sei denn instead of außer wenn to mean 'unless'?
Absolutely, and this is a very common B2 alternative. However, es sei denn does not send the verb to the end. If you swap it in, the word order goes back to a normal main clause: Du darfst den roten Knopf nicht drücken, es sei denn, du willst den Hauptgewinn.
Why do both Knopf and Hauptgewinn take the article den?
Both are masculine nouns (der Knopf, der Hauptgewinn) and both act as direct objects in their respective clauses. This puts them in the accusative case, changing the article to den. Notice that for den roten Knopf, the adjective rot takes the -en ending, which is required after a masculine accusative definite article.
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