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adjective A1 Beginner Very common

else

ehls
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Else (adjective) means Other than the person or thing already mentioned; additional. Example: “Is there anything else you need?”

adjective
1
Other than the person or thing already mentioned; additional.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Nobody else showed up to the meeting."
"Who else from your class is coming to the museum on Friday?"
adverb
1
Otherwise; if not.
"Hurry up, or else we'll miss the train."
"You'd better apologize, else she won't forgive you."
"Wear a coat, or else you will be cold on the walk home."

How to use else

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA small word added after "who/what/where/nothing/anything" etc. to mean "other" or "in addition", or used with "or" to mean "otherwise".

Common pairings
someone else anything else or else
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

Is there anything _____ you need?

Etymology

This word came from Middle English ells, elles, from Old English elles ("other, otherwise, different"), from Proto-West Germanic *alljas, from Proto-Germanic *aljas ("of another, of something else"), the genitive of *aljaz ("other"), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos, from *h₂el- ("other"). It is cognate with Old Frisian elles ("other"), Old High German elles, ellies ("other"), Danish eller ("or"), Danish ellers ("otherwise"), Swedish eljes, eljest ("or else, otherwise"), Norwegian elles ("else, otherwise"), Gothic ????? (aljis, "other"), Latin alius ("other, another"), Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos), Arcadocypriot αἶλος (aîlos), modern Greek αλλιώς (alliós, "otherwise, else"), and Proto-Slavic *olni.

Origin: Middle English

Synonyms

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other additional different more besides otherwise instead

Related words

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Frequently asked questions

What does “else” mean?
The word “else” means other than the person or thing already mentioned; additional. In plain terms, a small word added after "who/what/where/nothing/anything" etc. to mean "other" or "in addition", or used with "or" to mean "otherwise".
How do you pronounce “else”?
“Else” is pronounced ehls (/ɛls/ in IPA).
How do you use “else” in a sentence?
Here is “else” used in a sentence: “Is there anything else you need?”
What part of speech is “else”?
Depending on how it is used, “else” can be an adjective and an adverb.
Is “else” a common word?
“Else” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “else” have?
“Else” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: other than the person or thing already mentioned; additional.
What does 'else' mean?
"Else" means other than what has already been mentioned, or in addition to it. In "someone else," it points to a different person; in "what else?" it asks about additional things. It almost always attaches to another word, usually a pronoun like someone, anything, or nobody, rather than standing on its own.
What is an example of 'else' in a sentence?
"Is there anything else you need?" uses "else" to mean anything additional. "Ask someone else" points to a different person from the one already mentioned. "Nobody else knew" means no other person knew. In each case, "else" adds the idea of other or additional to the word right before it.
Is 'else' an adjective or an adverb?
It can be both. After words like someone, anything, or nowhere, it acts adjective-like, meaning "other," as in "somewhere else." In phrases such as "or else" or "how else," it works more like an adverb, meaning "otherwise" or "differently." Dictionaries label it in different ways, but its core sense of "other" stays the same.

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