if not for

Phrase

If (something) were not (or had not been) there; in the absence of (something); without.

Japanese Meaning

～がなければ / ～がなかったら / ～なしでは

If not for the quick thinking of the nurse, the patient might not have survived.

看護師の素早い判断がなければ、患者は助からなかったかもしれない。

Sense（1）

If (something) were not (or had not been) there; in the absence of (something); without.

If not for her surgical skill, you'd be dead now, so some appreciation may be in order.