sin lugar a dudas
adverbCEFR B2
What does “sin lugar a dudas” mean in English?
without doubt, undoubtedly
without doubt, undoubtedly (formal emphasis; stronger than sin duda; asserts beyond dispute)
Example sentences
Esta es, sin lugar a dudas, la mayor crisis que ha afrontado el sector en la última década.
This is, without doubt, the greatest crisis the sector has faced in the last decade.
Sin lugar a dudas, la colaboración internacional es indispensable para abordar este desafío.
Without question, international collaboration is indispensable for addressing this challenge.
Ha sido, sin lugar a dudas, una de las decisiones más acertadas de su gestión.
It has been, without question, one of the most successful decisions of his tenure.
How to use it
Sin lugar a dudas means 'without doubt', 'undoubtedly', 'without question'. It is a formal emphasis marker used to assert that something is beyond dispute. Construction: sin lugar a dudas (fronted adverbial or sentence-medial). Contrast with sin duda (shorter, equally common, same meaning) and indudablemente (single-word adverb). Sin lugar a dudas is the most emphatic of these three — the elaboration 'a dudas' makes the exclusion of doubt more explicit. Use in formal writing and speeches.
Common mistake
Sin duda (shorter) and sin lugar a dudas (more emphatic) are both formal and correct. Don't use *sin ninguna duda (unidiomatic in formal register — use sin lugar a dudas or sin duda alguna). The phrase is invariable — no agreement, no pluralisation.