Breakdown of Nous n'achetons pas d'ordinateur sans garantie.
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
l'ordinateur
the computer (m)
sans
without
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
acheter
to buy
la garantie
the guarantee
Questions & Answers about Nous n'achetons pas d'ordinateur sans garantie.
Why is there no article before garantie? Shouldn't it be sans une garantie?
In French, when you use sans (without) followed by a noun, you usually drop the indefinite article (un, une, or des). So instead of saying sans une garantie, you simply say sans garantie.
Why is it pas d'ordinateur instead of pas un ordinateur?
In negative sentences, the indefinite articles un, une, and des change to de (or d' before a vowel). Since we are saying we do not buy a computer, un ordinateur becomes d'ordinateur.
If I wanted to say 'with a guarantee', would I use an article?
Why do both n'achetons and d'ordinateur have apostrophes?
Both ne and de drop their final e and add an apostrophe when the next word starts with a vowel sound. This is called elision, and it makes the sentence flow more smoothly when spoken.
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