à moins que
/a mwɛ̃ kə/
To say unless in French, use à moins que.
à moins que introduces the one condition under which something will not happen, for example saying you will not go out unless the rain stops.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb after à moins que goes in the subjunctive mood. It is common and elegant to add an optional ne before that verb, and this ne does not make the sentence negative. When both parts of the sentence share the same subject, use à moins de followed by an infinitive instead.
How do you pronounce it?
In IPA it is /a mwɛ̃ kə/, with a nasal vowel in the middle word.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not follow à moins que with an ordinary indicative verb. Use the subjunctive, and do not read the extra ne as a negative.
Did you know?
- While à moins que is standard, you will often hear French speakers use sauf si in casual conversation. Unlike à moins que, the phrase sauf si allows you to use the indicative mood instead of the subjunctive.
- The word moins in this phrase is a direct descendant of the Latin word minus. This makes it a distant relative of the English word 'minus' used in mathematics.
- In very formal written French, the 'ne explétif' following à moins que is almost mandatory. Omitting it in a legal document or a formal letter might be perceived as a lack of education.
Examples in context
- Je n'irai pas, à moins que la pluie ne s'arrête.I won't go, unless the rain stops.ne s'arrête shows the optional ne before the subjunctive verb, and the meaning is still that the rain stops.Tatoeba #5939252 by Aiji, translation #2361804 by CK
- Ne bouge pas à moins que je ne te le dise !Don't move unless I tell you.à moins que je ne te le dise uses te because the speaker addresses one person informally.Tatoeba #2135686 by sacredceltic, translation #1860423 by CK
- À moins que je ne vous le dise, ne venez pas.Don't come unless I tell you to.Here À moins que opens the sentence and vous addresses someone politely or a group.Tatoeba #135532 by nimfeo, translation #325005 by CM
- Tu ne pourras pas partir, sauf si tu as terminé ton travail.You won't be able to leave unless you have finished your work.
- Je partirai à moins qu'il ne pleuve.I will leave unless it rains.
- À moins de changer d'avis, je ne viendrai pas.Unless I change my mind, I won't come.
- On ira au parc demain, sauf si tu as d'autres plans.We'll go to the park tomorrow unless you have other plans.
- À moins de rentrer tôt, je serai fatigué demain.Unless I go home early, I will be tired tomorrow.
- 47 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry à moins que, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries moins, que, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
