French flag

'Sans' plus a noun without an article: French words for '-less' and '-free'

French has no suffix like English -less or -free. It uses sans (without) followed directly by a noun, with no article in between. A sugar-free coffee is un café sans sucre, wireless headphones are un casque sans fil, and an unemployed person is sans emploi.

English speakers often add an article out of habit, because French nouns usually need one. They produce forms like sans le sucre or sans du sucre. After sans, a general or uncountable noun is used without an article, and the pair sans + noun works like a single adjective or adverb.

Word list
alcoolmA1 alcohol une bière sans alcool = an alcohol-free beer beurremA1 butter un gâteau sans beurre = a butter-free cake finfA1 end une histoire sans fin = an endless story fromagemA1 cheese une pizza sans fromage = a pizza without cheese laitmA1 milk un café sans lait = a coffee without milk nommA1 name une horreur sans nom = a nameless horror selmA1 salt un régime sans sel = a salt-free diet sucremA1 sugar un café sans sucre = a coffee without sugar viandefA1 meat un plat sans viande = a meat-free dish dangermA2 danger sans danger pour les enfants = safe for children douleurfA2 pain un traitement sans douleur = a painless treatment emploimA2 work être sans emploi = to be unemployed espoirmA2 hope une situation sans espoir = a hopeless situation fautefA2 mistake venir sans faute = to come without fail nuagemA2 cloud un ciel sans nuages = a cloudless sky peurfA2 fear un chevalier sans peur = a fearless knight problèmemA2 problem sans problème = no problem, easily raisonfA2 reason pleurer sans raison = to cry for no reason risquemA2 risk un placement sans risque = a risk-free investment voixfA2 voice rester sans voix = to be speechless butmB1 aim errer sans but = to wander aimlessly doutemB1 doubt sans doute = probably effortmB1 effort gagner sans effort = to win effortlessly filmB1 cable une souris sans fil = a wireless mouse goûtmB1 taste une soupe sans goût = a tasteless, bland soup graissefB1 fat cuire sans graisse = to cook without fat limitefB1 limit une ambition sans limites = a limitless ambition sans dangerB1 safe sans danger pour = safe for sans douteB1 probably sans doute = probably sans emploiB1 unemployed être sans emploi = to be unemployed sans filB1 wireless un casque sans fil = wireless headphones sans goûtB1 tasteless une soupe sans goût = a bland soup sans importanceB1 unimportant c'est sans importance = it doesn't matter sans nuagesB1 clear un ciel sans nuages = a clear, cloudless sky sans sucreB1 sugar-free un dessert sans sucre = a sugar-free dessert valeurfB1 value un objet sans valeur = a worthless object caféinefB2 caffeine un café sans caféine = a decaf coffee enthousiasmemB2 enthusiasm accepter sans enthousiasme = to accept reluctantly importancefB2 importance c'est sans importance = it doesn't matter manchefB2 sleeve une robe sans manches = a sleeveless dress plombmB2 lead essence sans plomb = unleaded petrol sans effortB2 effortless une victoire sans effort = an effortless victory sans effortB2 effortlessly parler sans effort = to speak effortlessly sans enthousiasmeB2 reluctantly accepter sans enthousiasme = to accept reluctantly sans espoirB2 hopeless ce n'est pas sans espoir = it isn't hopeless sans limitesB2 unlimited des possibilités sans limites = limitless possibilities tachefB2 stain une chemise sans tache = a spotless shirt sans abriC1 homeless un sans-abri = homeless sans connaissanceC1 unconscious être sans connaissance = to be unconscious sans pitiéC1 ruthless un tueur sans pitié = a ruthless killer sans précédentC1 unprecedented une crise sans précédent = an unprecedented crisis
How it works

When you use sans to say that something lacks a quality or substance in general, put the noun straight after it. Singular stays singular (sans sucre, sans goût). Plural stays plural when the idea is naturally plural (sans nuages, sans limites). Nothing goes in between.

A useful test: if English would say -less, -free, un- or without any, French almost always uses a noun without an article after sans. The result can follow a noun like an adjective (une bière sans alcool), follow être (il est sans emploi), or describe how something is done (sans effort).

This is not a universal ban on articles. When you mean a specific, identified thing, the article comes back: Je suis venu sans le document (the particular document we talked about).

The words
Food and drink

These are the everyday ones you will see on menus and labels: sucre and sans sucre, alcool, sel, viande. A vegetarian dish is un plat sans viande, and a low-salt diet is un régime sans sel. Labels also show sans gluten. At the petrol station, unleaded fuel is essence sans plomb.

Je prends toujours mon thé sans sucre.
(I always take my tea without sugar.)
Il boit de la bière sans alcool.
(He drinks alcohol-free beer.)
Cette soupe est vraiment sans goût.
(This soup is really bland.)
Describing things

Sans fil (wireless), sans nuages (cloudless), sans importance (unimportant), sans danger (safe), sans limites (limitless) and the formal sans précédent (unprecedented).

J'ai acheté un casque sans fil.
(I bought wireless headphones.)
Ne t'inquiète pas, ce détail est sans importance.
(Don't worry, this detail is unimportant.)
Ce produit est sans danger pour les enfants.
(This product is safe for children.)
People and situations

Sans emploi (unemployed), sans abri (homeless), sans espoir (hopeless) and sans connaissance (unconscious).

Mon frère est sans emploi depuis mars.
(My brother has been unemployed since March.)
La ville aide les personnes sans abri en hiver.
(The city helps homeless people in winter.)
Ne pleure pas, la situation n'est pas sans espoir.
(Don't cry, the situation isn't hopeless.)
How something is done

Sans effort works as an adjective (effortless) and as an adverb (effortlessly). Sans enthousiasme means reluctantly, and sans problème means no problem or easily.

Elle parle anglais sans effort.
(She speaks English effortlessly.)
Il a accepté le travail sans enthousiasme.
(He reluctantly accepted the job.)
Tu peux venir samedi ? Sans problème !
(Can you come on Saturday? No problem!)
Watch out

Sans doute looks like without doubt, but in everyday French it usually means probably. To say there is no doubt at all, use sans aucun doute.

Il est sans doute déjà parti.
(He has probably already left.)

You can add un or aucun for emphasis, meaning not a single one: sans un mot, sans aucun problème. This is a deliberate choice, not the neutral form.

Il est parti sans un mot.
(He left without a single word.)

As a noun for a person, homeless takes a hyphen: un sans-abri, des sans-abri. Finally, sans + infinitive (sans parler) is a different construction with its own rules.

Summary

When sans means that something lacks a quality or substance in general, put the noun right after it with no article: sans sucre, sans fil, sans emploi. Think of it as the French version of -less or -free. Use an article only for a specific thing (sans le document) or for emphasis (sans un mot), and remember that sans doute means probably.