Doing things unnoticed
When the same person performs both actions, use sin followed by an infinitive to say they did one thing without doing another.
| I read the anonymous poem without crying. | Leo el poema anónimo sin llorar. |
| He is intrigued and looks at the rose without touching it. | Él está intrigado y mira la rosa sin tocarla. |
Change of subject (sin que)
If the subject changes—meaning someone does something without someone else doing something—you must use sin que. Because a new subject is introduced, the verb following sin que must always be in the subjunctive.
| The admirer sends the gift without her knowing it. | El admirador envía el regalo sin que ella lo sepa. |
| He leaves the rose without me discovering the sender. | Él deja la rosa sin que yo descubra al remitente. |
| My admirer leaves a little gift with a compliment without me seeing him. | Mi admirador deja un regalito con un halago sin que yo lo vea. |
Remember the formula:
- Same subject = sin
- infinitive
- Different subjects = sin que
- subjunctive
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