C1 · Can, must, want · about 4 minutes
Rules and signs
Three registers of «forbidden», and one word English has no sign for.
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“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need11
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- le portthe harbour, port
- le casquethe helmet
- la terrassethe pavement terrace
- la défense des droitsadvocacy for rights
- l’autorisationthe consent form
- la ceinture de sécuritéthe seat belt
- obligatoirecompulsory
- arrièrerear, back
- le stationnementparking
- le gilet de sécuritéthe high-visibility vest
- le chantierthe building site
Practise as flashcards · 1Practise as flashcards · 2
Missing a word? Look it up in the dictionary
Understand
Remembertoléré means: not really, but nobody will stop you.
- Signal words
- interdit
- défense de
- obligatoire
- autorisé
- toléré
- ne pas
The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in French.
| it is forbidden to | il est interdit de |
| forbidden (on a sign) | défense de |
| compulsory | obligatoire |
| recommended | recommandé |
| permitted | autorisé |
| tolerated | toléré |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
A sign uses the infinitive, not the imperative.
Ne pas déranger.Do not disturb.
défense de plus the infinitive is the two-word prohibition.
Défense d’afficher.Stick no bills.
The passive names no one and therefore sounds official.
Le port du casque est exigé.Wearing a helmet is required.
toléré is permission with a reservation.
Les chiens sont tolérés en terrasse.Dogs are tolerated on the terrace.
Example sentences
Il est interdit de fumer dans l’enceinte.Smoking is forbidden on the premises.
Défense d’entrer sans autorisation.No entry without authorisation.
La ceinture est obligatoire à l’arrière.Seat belts are compulsory in the back.
1 more example sentences
Stationnement toléré le dimanche.Parking tolerated on Sundays.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Writing a regulation with vous devez addresses somebody, and it reads like a manager rather than a notice. English does the same thing with «you must wear a helmet», which belongs in a briefing and not on a wall. A sign says nobody «you»: it says what applies, and leaves open to whom.
Quick check
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Practise
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Your progress
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
A regulation rarely uses devoir. It uses forms that address nobody: the infinitive as a command (Ne pas se pencher), the impersonal il est interdit de, the passive (l'accès est réservé).
Interdit, défendu and prohibé all mean forbidden, but they sit in different registers: interdit is the ordinary word, on the sign and in the regulation; défendu is milder and everyday — what you say to a child; prohibé is formal, the word of statutes and customs. English has «no», «forbidden» and «prohibited» and arranges them by a different logic — «No smoking» is the sign, «smoking is prohibited» the notice, «forbidden» rather old-fashioned — so the three pairs do not line up.
Permission is autorisé, and then there is toléré, which has no English sign-word at all. It means: not really allowed, but nobody will stop you. English would need a whole sentence, and would probably not put it on a sign.
An obligation with no leeway is obligatoire; one you ought to meet is recommandé. That pair is on every packet of medicine, and English uses «required» and «recommended» for the same two rungs.
The verbs on this page, in every form: être · interdire · exiger · entrer