Sin haber guardado el mapa en la cartera, nos perdimos en la ciudad.

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Breakdown of Sin haber guardado el mapa en la cartera, nos perdimos en la ciudad.

• nosotros: we
• la ciudad: the city
• sin: without

Questions & Answers about Sin haber guardado el mapa en la cartera, nos perdimos en la ciudad.

What does the opening phrase sin haber guardado do in this sentence?

It’s a prepositional phrase (sin + perfect infinitive) that gives the circumstance (and implied cause) for the main action. Sin haber guardado el mapa… means “without having put the map away” and indicates a prior, unrealized action relative to nos perdimos (“we got lost”). The understood subject of the non-finite clause is the same as the main clause: “we.”

Can I say sin guardar instead of sin haber guardado? What’s the difference?

Yes. Both are correct:

• Sin guardar el mapa… is shorter and very common. It can suggest either simultaneous or prior non-action, resolved by context.
• Sin haber guardado el mapa… makes the anteriority explicit (“without having put it away beforehand”) and can sound a bit more formal or careful.

Why is haber used here and not tener?

Because Spanish forms compound (perfect) constructions with haber + past participle. Sin haber guardado is the perfect infinitive (“without having put away”).
Using tener would change the meaning: tener + participio often expresses a resulting state or ongoing arrangement (e.g., Tengo guardado el mapa = “I keep the map stored/put away”), not the prior action itself.

Why not sin habiendo guardado?