Breakdown of Il aime la solitude, alors il voyage sans téléphone ni ordinateur.
il
he
l'ordinateur
the computer (m)
sans
without
le téléphone
the phone
aimer
to like, to love
voyager
to travel
alors
so, then
ni
nor
la solitude
the solitude
Questions & Answers about Il aime la solitude, alors il voyage sans téléphone ni ordinateur.
The English translation says "without a phone OR a computer." Why does the French use ni instead of ou?
The preposition sans (without) creates a negative context. In French, when you link items in a negative sentence or phrase, you must use ni (which usually means "nor") instead of ou (or). Using ou here would sound unnatural.
Why are there no words like un or le before téléphone and ordinateur?
When using sans, indefinite articles (un, une, des) and partitive articles (du, de la) are generally dropped, because you are talking about the item as a broad concept rather than a specific object. This rule carries over to the second noun when you connect them with ni. Therefore, it is sans téléphone ni ordinateur rather than sans un téléphone ni un ordinateur.
Why is it la solitude with an article, when English just says "solitude"?
In French, abstract nouns and general concepts require a definite article (le, la, les). Furthermore, verbs expressing preferences (like aimer, adorer, détester) always take a definite article because you are referring to the thing you like in a general sense.
Could I use donc instead of alors to mean "so" in this sentence?
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