के सिवा (ke sivaa)
postposition
A compound postposition meaning 'except, besides' -- used after a noun/pronoun in the oblique case to exclude something. Also spelled के सिवाय (ke sivaay), which is at least as common; both forms are used interchangeably.
Sense
1
:
except, apart from
postposition Takes the oblique form of the preceding noun/pronoun, as with other compound postpositions ending in के (ke).
Synonyms: के सिवाय (ke sivaay, variant form), के अलावा (ke alaavaa), के बिना (ke binaa, meaning scope: 'without' rather than 'except')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear this often in slightly exasperated or emphatic statements like इसके सिवा कोई चारा नहीं (iske sivaa koii chaaraa nahiin, 'there is no option except this') -- it has a bit more rhetorical weight than के अलावा (ke alaavaa), which feels more neutral and administrative.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for के अलावा (ke alaavaa) by default since it is taught first; के सिवा (ke sivaa) is equally natural and slightly more emphatic in tone, often pairing with कुछ नहीं (kuchh nahiin, 'nothing') or कोई नहीं (koii nahiin, 'no one') to mean 'nothing/no one except.' 2) Do not confuse with के बिना (ke binaa, 'without'), which excludes by absence rather than by exception from a set.
Sample Sentences:
उसके सिवा वहाँ कोई नहीं था।
There was no one there except him.
(uske sivaa vahaan koii nahiin thaa।)
इसके सिवा कोई चारा नहीं है।
There is no option except this.
(iske sivaa koii chaaraa nahiin hai।)
तुम्हारे सिवा मुझे कोई समझता ही नहीं।
No one understands me except you.
(tumhaare sivaa mujhe koii samajhtaa hii nahiin।)
काम के सिवा उसे और कुछ याद ही नहीं रहता।
He doesn't remember anything else except work.
(kaam ke sivaa use aur kuchh yaad hii nahiin rahtaa।)
अगर वह वहाँ रहता तो इस दुर्घटना के सिवा कुछ और होता।
If he had been there, something other than this accident would have happened.
(agar vah vahaan rahtaa to is durghatnaa ke sivaa kuchh aur hotaa।)
माफी के सिवा अब कुछ नहीं कहा जा सकता।
Except for an apology, nothing else can be said now.
(maaphii ke sivaa ab kuchh nahiin kahaa jaa saktaa।)
रोने के सिवा उसने कुछ नहीं किया।
He did nothing except cry.
(rone ke sivaa usne kuchh nahiin kiyaa।)
क्या इस रास्ते के सिवा और कोई तरीका नहीं है?
Isn't there any way other than this path?
(kyaa is raaste ke sivaa aur koii tariikaa nahiin hai?)
भगवान के सिवा कोई इस दर्द को नहीं जानता।
No one but God knows this pain.
(bhagvaan ke sivaa koii is dard ko nahiin jaantaa।)
इस सत्य के सिवा और कुछ शेष नहीं रहता।
Nothing remains except this truth.
(is saty ke sivaa aur kuchh shesh nahiin rahtaa।)