Sin que
The exercise requires that the student combine two related sentences into one, linking them with "sin que".
The example: "Me voy a ir. El niño no lo oirá.
The correct change: Me voy a ir sin que lo oiga el niño.
14 sentence pairs follow. Only one has given me trouble. By trouble I mean that I am not sure of the English after I combine the pair with "sin que".
But the example!! Do I understand this to be saying that "I am going to leave without hearing the child'" Where is the sense in that.? And if there is sense in that, certainly it is not a mother's sense.
Perhaps I might have sympathy for the mother who would say: "I am going to leave unless I hear the child." ...but no dictionary wants to translate "sin que" in any other way besides "without" for me.
Here is another example that gives me trouble:
Que decida él solo. Nosotros no le aconsejamos.
My attempt: Que decida él solo sin que no le aconsejemos.
It is right, but what am I trying to express?
If it is supposed to mean something like "What would he decide on his own without our advice" then I would have expected "Qué" instead of "Que". As it stands, I must turn to the forum for help.
All the others are easy, even if not always nice. For example: 7) Es imposible que me ayudes en la cocina, sin que me rompas algo. That is not too motherly either, but at least I understand it.
4 Answers
Thank you. I am surprised and even dismayed that the one or two dictionaries I consulted (neither hardcopies, nor is two exhaustive
did not offer such good suggestions as yours for other uses of "sin que". I "felt" that there must be a way that "unless" could play a role in some translations, although not, I see clearly from Lazarus' post, in this example with the baby/child.
James Santiago said:
Supongo que no se usa nunca "sin que" con otro negativo porque es negativo ya "sin que"'
Someone may come up with an example of "sin que no," but I think you are correct that this would be rare, at least. Just as in English it would be difficult to come up with a sentence using "without ... not." The sin/without already implies a negative, as you say.
Sin que is a useful way to express "not... unless" and "not ... if ... not" concepts.
No voy a ir sin que me inviten = I'm not going unless they invite me / if I haven't been invited
>
Supongo que no se usa nunca "sin que" con otro negativo porque es negativo ya "sin que"'
Someone may come up with an example of "sin que no," but I think you are correct that this would be rare, at least. Just as in English it would be difficult to come up with a sentence using "without ... not." The sin/without already implies a negative, as you say.
Sin que is a useful way to express "not... unless" and "not ... if ... not" concepts.
No voy a ir sin que me inviten = I'm not going unless they invite me / if I haven't been invited
Aaah, qué buena mamma. Ese sentido me gusta. Disculpeme y gracias.
Veo tambien que no fue exactamente correcta mi frase número 8, la que me suena ahora. Me permite entender que no necesita el negativo "no" con "sin que". Supongo que no se usa nunca "sin que" con otro negativo porque es negativo ya "sin que"?
lazarus1907 said:
:
But the example!! Do I understand this to be saying that "I am going to leave without hearing the child'"
No, you are leaving without the baby hearing it / noticing it
:
My attempt: Que decida él solo sin que no le aconsejemos. It is right, but what am I trying to express?
Let him decide by himseft, without our advice. (without us giving him advice)
By the way:
(Déjale) Que decida él solo
(Es mejor) Que decida él solo
>
:
But the example!! Do I understand this to be saying that "I am going to leave without hearing the child'"
No, you are leaving without the baby hearing it / noticing it
:
My attempt: Que decida él solo sin que no le aconsejemos. It is right, but what am I trying to express?
Let him decide by himseft, without our advice. (without us giving him advice)
By the way:
(Déjale) Que decida él solo
(Es mejor) Que decida él solo
