Word
Vous ne pouvez pas entrer sans payer.
Meaning
You cannot enter without paying.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Vous ne pouvez pas entrer sans payer.
vous
you (plural/formal)
sans
without
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
Questions & Answers about Vous ne pouvez pas entrer sans payer.
Why is payer in the infinitive instead of a form that means paying?
In English, we use an -ing verb after prepositions (without paying). In French, almost all prepositions, including sans, must be followed by the infinitive (the unconjugated dictionary form). So, without paying translates directly to sans payer.
Why is entrer also in the infinitive?
This follows the double-verb rule. When two verbs are used together for the same subject, only the first one is conjugated. Here, the first verb is pouvez (conjugated for vous), so the second verb entrer (to enter) stays in its infinitive form.
Does Vous ne pouvez pas mean you cannot or you may not?