Cette carte me permet d'entrer sans attendre.

This card allows me to enter without waiting.

Breakdown of Cette carte me permet d'entrer sans attendre.

• de: of
• cette: this
• me: me
• sans: without
• attendre: to wait
• entrer: to enter
• permettre: to allow
• la carte: the card

Questions & Answers about Cette carte me permet d'entrer sans attendre.

Why is it cette and not ce or cet?

Cette is the feminine singular form of “this/that.” Carte is feminine, so you need cette. Use:

• ce for masculine singular before a consonant (ce livre)
• cet for masculine singular before a vowel or mute h (cet homme)
• cette for feminine singular (cette carte)
• ces for any plural (ces cartes, ces livres)

Does carte mean “card” or “map” here?

Here it means “card” (specifically something like an access card/badge: carte d’accès, badge). Carte can also mean “map” or even “menu” (la carte) depending on context, but the verb permet (“allows”) signals a pass/card in this sentence.

Why is the pronoun me placed before permet? Where does it go in the negative or imperative?

Object pronouns normally go before the conjugated verb: Cette carte me permet…
Negation wraps around the verb: Cette carte ne me permet pas…
In the affirmative imperative, pronouns follow with a hyphen: Permettez‑moi d’entrer.

Why permet de + infinitive and not permet à + infinitive or permet pour + infinitive?

The pattern is: permettre à [person] de + infinitive.

• With a person named: Cette carte permet à Marie d’entrer.
• With a pronoun: Cette carte me permet d’entrer. You don’t say permettre à + infinitive or permettre pour + infinitive.

Can I drop de and say me permet entrer?

No. After permettre, French requires de + infinitive: me permet d’entrer.
If you want a noun instead of an infinitive, you could say: permet l’entrée, but that slightly changes the structure.

What does the apostrophe in d’entrer do?

It’s the elision of de before a vowel sound. de entrer → d’entrer. Same with d’aller, d’utiliser. It’s not possession; French doesn’t use apostrophes for possession.

Why is entrer not followed by a direct object? In English we say “enter the building.”

In French, entrer is intransitive. To specify a place, use a preposition:

• entrer dans le bâtiment (enter the building)
• Never say entrer le bâtiment (incorrect in French).

What’s the difference between entrer and rentrer?

• entrer: to go in/enter.
• rentrer: to go back in / to return (often home), or to put something back.
  Examples:
• Je rentre à la maison. (I’m going back home.)
• Entre dans la salle. (Come into the room.)

What exactly does sans attendre mean?

Literally “without waiting.” It often implies “without delay / immediately,” depending on context. Synonyms: sans délai, immédiatement. Here it means you can go in with no wait time.

Could I say sans faire la queue instead of sans attendre?

Yes, if you specifically mean “without lining up.”

• sans attendre: no waiting at all.
• sans faire la queue: no queueing (even if there might be some other brief delay).

Is attendre a false friend of “to attend”?

Yes. attendre means “to wait (for).”
“To attend” (an event/class) is assister à: J’assiste à une conférence.

Can I say sans avoir à attendre? Is it different from sans attendre?

Yes: sans avoir à attendre = “without having to wait,” emphasizing lack of obligation/requirement.
sans attendre focuses on the absence of actual waiting time.

How would I include the place with y?

Use y to replace à / dans / sur + a place with entrer it’s typically “dans + place”:

• Cette carte me permet d’y entrer sans attendre.
  Here y = “dans le musée / dans le bâtiment,” etc., and it sits before the infinitive: d’y entrer.

Why is it permet and not permets?

Because the subject cette carte is third person singular. Present tense of permettre:

• je permets, tu permets, il/elle permet, nous permettons, vous permettez, ils/elles permettent.

Can I rephrase with pouvoir or grâce à?

Yes:

• Avec cette carte, je peux entrer sans attendre.
• Je peux entrer grâce à cette carte.
  permettre highlights what enables/authorizes; pouvoir states ability; grâce à marks a favorable cause.

How do I negate the sentence?

Place ne … pas around the conjugated verb:

• Cette carte ne me permet pas d’entrer (sans attendre).

When would I use sans que instead of sans + infinitive?

Use sans + infinitive when the same person who does the main action is also the one “not doing” the secondary action:

• Cette carte me permet d’entrer sans attendre. (I’m the one not waiting.) Use sans que + subjunctive when a different subject is involved or to cast it as a full clause:
• Cette carte te permet d’entrer sans que j’intervienne.
• Stylistically: … sans que j’aie à attendre (emphasizes “without my having to”).