ilma et + Conditional
Without Doing (Ilma Et)
Ta lahkus, ilma et oleks hüvasti jätnud means he left without saying goodbye. ilma et is followed by the conditional, and there is no ei.
How It Works
ilma et means without, and it starts a whole clause. The verb in that clause is usually in the conditional:
- Past: Ta lahkus, ilma et oleks hüvasti jätnud. (He left without saying goodbye.)
- General: Keelt on raske õppida, ilma et seda iga päev kuuleks. (It's hard to learn a language without hearing it every day.)
The personal ending on the conditional is optional: ilma et oleksin küsinud or ilma et ma oleks küsinud.
ilma already means without, so the verb after ilma et has no ei. Ilma et ta oleks midagi öelnud means without him saying anything.
When both parts have the same doer, the -mata form is a shorter choice:
- Ta lahkus, ilma et oleks hüvasti jätnud. = Ta lahkus hüvasti jätmata.
When the doers are different, ilma et is the natural choice: Ta lahkus, ilma et keegi oleks märganud. (He left without anyone noticing.)
Punctuation: ilma et is one conjunction. Put a comma before it, but not between ilma and et.
Examples (5)
- Ta lahkus, ilma et oleks hüvasti jätnud.
He left without saying goodbye.
Word by Word: he left, without that would-have goodbye left
- Võtsin su vihmavarju, ilma et oleksin küsinud. Vabandust!
I took your umbrella without asking. Sorry!
- Ta lahkus, ilma et keegi oleks märganud.
He left without anyone noticing.
The doers are different (he left, nobody noticed), so ilma et fits better than the -mata form.
- Laps jooksis üle tee, ilma et oleks vasakule ja paremale vaadanud.
The child ran across the road without looking left and right.
- Keelt on raske õppida, ilma et seda iga päev kuuleks.
It's hard to learn a language without hearing it every day.
A general statement uses the present conditional kuuleks.
Common Mistakes
Adding ei after ilma et.
Ta lahkus, ilma et ei oleks hüvasti jätnud.Ta lahkus, ilma et oleks hüvasti jätnud.ilma already means without. Adding ei makes a double negative that does not say what you mean. Leave ei out.
Putting a comma between ilma and et.
Ta lahkus ilma, et oleks hüvasti jätnud.Ta lahkus, ilma et oleks hüvasti jätnud.ilma et is one conjunction, so the comma goes before ilma, not inside the pair.
How It Connects
Learn This First
ilma et means without, with a conditional clause.
Related Patterns
- -mata FormWithout Doing (-mata)
The shorter way to say without when the doer is the same: hüvasti jätmata.
Level 3 - nagu + ConditionalAs if (Nagu Oleks)
Another conjunction followed by the conditional: nagu oleks.
Level 4 - Would Have (oleksin teinud)
ilma et oleks tehtud uses the past conditional for past events.
Level 3 - selle asemel, etInstead of Doing (Selle Asemel, Et)
Another multi-word conjunction: instead of doing something.
Level 4 - Commas Before Clauses
ilma et gets one comma before it and none inside it.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice ilma et + Conditional in Bubblegum
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