French Preposition sans: Without, Absence and Fixed Expressions

Getting Started

sans simply means “without,” and it’s the direct opposite of avec. It has three uses: the absence of something, doing something without an action, and a few fixed expressions.

1. Absence

French	Use	Example
sans	without money	Il ne peut pas voyager sans argent.
sans	without sugar	Je prends mon café sans sucre.
sans	without a coat	Ne sors pas sans manteau, il fait froid.
sans	without a problem	Vous pouvez entrer sans problème.

Note: no article follows sans — whether English uses “a” or “the,” French uses only the bare noun.

2. sans + Infinitive

French	English	Example
sans parler	without speaking	Il est parti sans parler à personne.
sans rien dire	without saying anything	Elle a signé sans rien dire.
sans hésiter	without hesitating	Il a accepté sans hésiter.

Note: The verb stays in its plain infinitive form here — it never changes to the English “-ing.”

3. Fixed Expressions

French	English	Example
sans doute	probably	Il va pleuvoir, sans doute.
sans cesse	constantly	Le bébé pleure sans cesse.
sans abri	homeless	Cet homme est sans abri depuis un an.
sans emploi	unemployed	Elle est sans emploi depuis trois mois.
sans exception	without exception	La règle s’applique à tous sans exception.

4. Exceptions and Traps

Wrong	Right	Why
sans le sucre	sans sucre	No article for plain absence; the article only appears for a specific, known thing.
Il va pleuvoir, sans un doute.	Il va pleuvoir, sans doute.	sans doute is a fixed expression, with no article.
Il est parti sans parlant.	Il est parti sans parler.	sans is followed by the infinitive, not the gerund (-ant).

Examples

Elle vit sans stress depuis sa retraite. — She has lived without stress since retiring.
Il a traversé la ville sans se perdre. — He crossed the city without getting lost.
Ce quartier est sans danger le soir. — This neighbourhood is safe (without danger) at night.
On a fini le travail sans aide. — We finished the work without help.
Elle parle français sans accent. — She speaks French without an accent.

What’s Next

Its direct opposite: avec
The one for purpose: pour
The foundation for all prepositions: à and de
Practice: the prepositions game or spot the mistakes

FAQ

What's the difference between sans and avec?

sans means 'without', avec means 'with' — direct opposites: café sans sucre vs. café avec sucre.

Why doesn't sans take an article?

sans argent, sans problème — this marks the plain absence of something, so there's no need for un/une/le/la. The exception is when a specific thing is named: sans le livre que tu m'as prêté.

What does sans doute mean?

'Probably', 'most likely' — not full certainty, just a guess: Il va pleuvoir, sans doute. For genuine certainty, French uses sans aucun doute.

How is sans + infinitive used?

For 'without doing': sans parler, sans rien dire. French keeps the verb in its plain infinitive form here, unlike the English -ing.