248. The preposition "sen", without, indicates the omission, absence or
exclusion of that which is expressed by its complement. It may be used
as a prefix (160), giving a sense of deprivation or exclusion (like that
given by the English suffix "-less"):
Li difinis la vorton sen eraro, he defined the word without an error.
La rivero sencxese fluas, the river flows without ceasing.
Tio estas ne nur senutila sed ecx malutila,
that is not only useless but even harmful.
Li ne plu estas senmona, he is no longer penniless.
Li sentime alproksimigxis al gxi, he fearlessly approached it.
[Footnote: English phrases containing "without" as in "without reading,"
must be changed to phrases clearly containing verbal nouns, as "without
the reading of," before translating into an Esperanto phrase with "sen".
Otherwise a participle with "ne" should replace the phrase ("222"): "Sen
la legado de tio, mi ne komprenus", without (the) reading (of) that,
I should not understand. "Ne leginte tion, mi ne komprenus", without
reading (not having read) that, I should not understand.]