Breakdown of Il sort sans manteau.
Questions & Answers about Il sort sans manteau.
Why is it just sans manteau and not sans un manteau?
After the preposition sans (without), French usually drops indefinite articles (un, une, des) and partitive articles (du, de la). So "without a coat" is simply translated as sans manteau. What if I wanted to say he goes out without his coat?
You would keep the possessive word and say Il sort sans son manteau. The rule about dropping the article after sans only applies to words like "a" or "some" (un, une, des), not to possessives (mon, ton, son) or definite articles (le, la, les). I always mix up sortir and partir. Why is sort used here?
Sortir generally means "to go out" (like stepping outside of a building, or going out for the evening). Partir means "to leave" or "to depart," often for a trip or when leaving a place behind entirely. Since he is just stepping out of the house, sort is the natural choice here. Do I pronounce the "s" at the end of sans?
No, the final "s" in sans is silent in this sentence. You only pronounce it (making a "z" sound) if the very next word starts with a vowel or a silent h, like in sans abri (without shelter). Because manteau starts with a consonant, there is no liaison and the "s" stays silent. Learn Il sort sans manteau and more in French
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