Breakdown of On ne fait pas de spéléologie sans casque ni baudrier.
on
one / we (informal)
sans
without
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
faire
to do, to make
le casque
the helmet
ni
nor
la spéléologie
the caving
le baudrier
the harness
Questions & Answers about On ne fait pas de spéléologie sans casque ni baudrier.
Why is it pas de spéléologie instead of pas de la spéléologie?
Why aren't there any articles before casque and baudrier?
After the preposition sans (without) and the negative conjunction ni (nor), indefinite articles (un, une, des) are dropped. Therefore, you say sans casque ni baudrier rather than sans un casque ni un baudrier.
The English translation says "without a helmet or a harness." Why use ni instead of ou?
How does this relate to the current lesson's focus on à moins de (unless)?
Both sans and à moins de can establish a negative condition. You could rewrite the meaning of this sentence as On ne fait pas de spéléologie à moins d'avoir un casque et un baudrier (One does not go caving unless having a helmet and a harness). However, when simply listing missing physical objects, sans... ni... is much more direct and natural.
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