Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Sin haber guardado el mapa en la cartera, nos perdimos en la ciudad. - Without having put the map in the wallet, we got lost in the city.

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?

After prepositions like sin, Spanish uses the infinitive, not the gerund. So sin haber guardado is correct; sin habiendo guardado is non-standard. The gerund habiendo guardado can appear in other structures (e.g., very formal style), but not directly after sin.

What’s the difference between nos perdimos and perdimos?

Nos perdimos (from pronominal perderse) means “we got lost.”
Perdimos (from perder) means “we lost (something).”
Compare: Nos perdimos en la ciudad vs. Perdimos el mapa.

Why the preterite nos perdimos and not nos perdíamos?

Nos perdimos (preterite) presents a completed event.
Nos perdíamos (imperfect) would mean “we used to get lost” or “we were getting lost” (background/ongoing). Here, a single finished incident is in view, so preterite fits.

Could I use nos hemos perdido?

In Spain, pretérito perfecto (e.g., nos hemos perdido) is common for events within “today/this week,” or when the result feels current: Hoy nos hemos perdido. Without a present-time frame or immediacy, nos perdimos is more neutral for a past, finished event.

Why el mapa if it ends in -a? Isn’t it feminine?

Mapa is masculine: el mapa. Several words ending in -a of Greek origin are masculine (e.g., el día, el problema, el planeta, el tema).

Is cartera the right word in Spain? Would bolso be better?

In Spain:

cartera usually means “wallet” or “briefcase” (and a school satchel in some contexts).
bolso means “handbag/purse.”
In much of Latin America, cartera can mean “handbag/purse.” If you want peninsular usage and you mean a handbag, bolso is more idiomatic: …el mapa en el bolso. For a backpack: en la mochila.

Does guardado agree with mapa in gender/number?

Not in this construction. With haber, the past participle is invariable: haber guardado (never “guardada/guardados” here). It would only agree if you used it as an adjective (e.g., el mapa guardado).

Can I move the opening phrase to the end? Do I need commas?

Yes, you can place it at the end: Nos perdimos en la ciudad sin haber guardado el mapa en la cartera.
Punctuation:

At the start, a comma after the introductory phrase is standard.
At the end, no comma is needed unless for stylistic pause.

Who is the subject of haber guardado? What if it’s a different person?

By default, it’s the same as the main subject (“we”). If you need a different subject, use sin que + subjunctive:

Same time frame: Nos perdimos sin que Juan guardara el mapa…
To stress anteriority: Nos perdimos sin que Juan hubiera guardado el mapa…

Why use guardar? How does it differ from meter or poner?

guardar = to put away/keep for safekeeping (intention to store).
meter = to put/insert into something (physical insertion).
poner = to put/place (very general).
All can work, but nuance differs: meter el mapa en el bolso highlights the act of inserting; guardar el mapa suggests storing it properly.

Can I replace el mapa with a pronoun? Where does it go?

Yes. With infinitives, attach the pronoun or place it before the auxiliary:

Sin haberlo guardado, nos perdimos…
Nos perdimos… sin haberlo guardado.
With the simple infinitive: sin guardarlo. (Use lo for el mapa; la for a feminine noun like la guía.)

Could I express the cause with other connectors like por or como?

Yes, each with a nuance:

Por no haber guardado el mapa… (explicit cause: “because of not having put it away”).
Al no haber guardado el mapa… (temporal-causal: “upon/because of not having put it away”).
Como no habíamos guardado el mapa… (causal “since/as,” using the pluperfect).
Sin haber guardado… emphasizes the absence of the action (“without having…”), with an implied causal reading.