Breakdown of Elle a annulé la réunion sans excuse valable.
elle
she
sans
without
avoir
to have
la réunion
the meeting
annuler
to cancel
l'excuse
the excuse (f)
valable
valid
Questions & Answers about Elle a annulé la réunion sans excuse valable.
Why is it just sans excuse instead of sans une excuse?
In French, when you use sans (without) followed by a noun, you generally drop the indefinite article (un, une, or des). Because the sentence is talking about lacking an excuse in a general sense, you don't need to use une here.
Why does the adjective valable come after excuse?
Most adjectives in French come after the noun they describe. The main exceptions are short, common adjectives (like bon, petit, or grand), which go before the noun. Valable (valid or acceptable) follows the normal rule and goes right after excuse.
Do I pronounce the 's' at the end of sans?
Why is a annulé translated as 'canceled' instead of 'has canceled'?
The passé composé (a annulé) can be translated as either the English simple past (canceled) or the present perfect (has canceled). In everyday spoken French, the passé composé is the standard tense used to talk about completed past actions, so 'canceled' is usually the most natural translation.
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