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Il faut plier la moitié du tissu sans faire d'erreur.

Il faut plier la moitié du tissu sans faire d'erreur.
You have to fold half of the fabric without making a mistake.
From Lesson 252:Fractional quantities (la moitié de, le tiers de)·French

Questions & Answers about Il faut plier la moitié du tissu sans faire d'erreur.

Why is it la moitié du instead of la moitié de?
The expression for half of is la moitié de. Because tissu (fabric) is a masculine noun (le tissu), the preposition de and the article le contract to form du. If the noun were feminine, like la tarte, it would not contract: la moitié de la tarte.
Why is the verb faire in the infinitive here?
In English, we say without making. In French, whenever a verb directly follows a preposition like sans (without), pour (for), or de (of), it must stay in its unconjugated infinitive form. That is why it is sans faire.
Why does it say d'erreur instead of une erreur?
When using sans (without) to show the absence of something, French usually drops the words un or une. Similar to negative sentences, we use de (or d' before a vowel) to mean any. So, without making a mistake becomes sans faire d'erreur.
Can I use tu dois instead of il faut here?
Yes, you can! Tu dois plier is perfect if you are giving instructions to one specific person. Il faut is an impersonal expression that literally means it is necessary, but French speakers use it all the time as a general you have to or one must.

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