French dictionary
sans/sɑ̃/
preposition · A1 · Frequency 173
preposition
Meanings
without (not having)
Used to indicate the absence of something or a state, commonly in negative constructions.
without (not doing or having done)
Used to indicate that an action was not performed, often followed by an infinitive verb.
Examples
Il est parti sans son téléphone.
He left without his phone.
Elle boit son café sans sucre.
She drinks her coffee without sugar.
Il est sorti sans dire au revoir.
He left without saying goodbye.
Collocations
- sans argentwithout money
- sans faire de bruitwithout making noise
- vivre sans stressto live without stress
Common mistakes
sans le livre
sans livre
The preposition sans is usually followed directly by a noun without an article.
sans fait
sans faire
When sans is followed by a verb, it should be in the infinitive form.
Related words
Grammar note
Sans as a preposition is followed by a noun without an article or by an infinitive verb form.