The Exception to the Rule
When discussing the hazards and rewards of beekeeping, you might need to point out exceptions—like how nobody handles the beehive except you.
In Portuguese, most prepositions must be followed by special prepositional pronouns (like mim and ti). However, prepositions of exception completely break this rule. Words meaning "except" or "save for" are followed directly by standard subject pronouns (such as eu and tu).
Tirando and Exceto
The word tirando translates to "except for" or "apart from". Notice how it is followed by the subject pronoun tu, never the prepositional pronoun ti.
| Except for you, the beekeeper did not give the pollen to anyone. | O apicultor não deu o pólen a ninguém, tirando tu. |
The word exceto (except) follows the exact same pattern. You will always use eu, never mim.
| Nobody opens the beehive, except me and the beekeeper. | Ninguém abre a colmeia, exceto eu e o apicultor. |
Salvo
Finally, salvo (save for / except) works identically. Whether these exception words appear at the end of a clause or right at the beginning of a sentence, the subject pronoun rule remains the same.
| Our family ran away from the swarm, save for me. | A nossa família fugiu do enxame, salvo eu. |
| Save for you, nobody wants the pollen. | Salvo tu, ninguém quer o pólen. |