The provided phrase represents a French expression meaning “you were going out without warning them.” It translates to the second-person plural imperfect indicative form of the verb sortir (to go out) followed by the preposition sans (without) and the phrase les prvenir (to warn them). The entire expression describes a situation where a group of people (addressed as “you”) habitually left without informing others.
Understanding such phrases is crucial in language learning as it reveals the nuances of verb conjugation and prepositional usage in French. Recognizing the imperfect tense indicates a repeated or ongoing action in the past. Mastering such structures allows for more accurate and natural communication, enabling the speaker or writer to convey not just the action itself, but also its contextual elements such as frequency and duration.
