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👉 French prepositions »
Level A1 (Beginner)
Published March 21, 2026 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
The French Word of the Day is sans, meaning “without.” You’ll hear it all the time in everyday French, in phrases such as sans sucre (without sugar) and sans aucun doute (without a doubt).
📘 Sans meaning in French
Sans is a French preposition meaning “without.” It’s used to express the absence of something and appears constantly in everyday French. You’ll hear it in simple phrases like sans sucre (without sugar) and in sentences such as “Il est parti sans dire au revoir” (He left without saying goodbye).
🎧 Sans pronunciation in French
The pronunciation of sans is /sɑ̃/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “sahn” (with a nasal vowel, similar to “on” in French).
📝 Sans usage examples
Je prends mon café sans sucre.
I take my coffee without sugar.
Il est parti sans dire au revoir.
He left without saying goodbye.
Je ne veux pas partir sans toi.
I don’t want to leave without you.
👉 See also: Vouloir conjugation chart (to want) »
Je vais prendre ce menu sans aucun doute.
I’m going to take this set meal without a doubt.
👉 See also: Il va sans dire — B2 expression meaning “it goes without saying.”
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- sans aucun doute — without a doubt
- sans raison — for no reason
- sans faute — without fail
- sans cesse — without ceasing / constantly
- sans abri — homeless
- sans issue — with no way out
- sans que — without (someone) doing something
- se passer de quelque chose — to do without something
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 French prepositions »
👉 Avec (with) »
👉 Il va sans dire (it goes without saying) »
