C1 · Can, must, want
Rules and signs
Three weights of «forbidden», and one word English has no sign for.
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, and they get heavier in that order: interdit on the sign, défendu in the house rules, prohibé in the statute. 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.
Die Form
| it is forbidden to | il est interdit de |
| forbidden (on a sign) | défense de |
| compulsory | obligatoire |
| recommended | recommandé |
| permitted | autorisé |
| tolerated | toléré |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
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 obligatoire.Helmets are compulsory.
toléré is permission with a reservation.
Les chiens sont tolérés en terrasse.Dogs are tolerated on the terrace.
Woran man es erkennt
- interdit
- défense de
- obligatoire
- autorisé
- toléré
- ne pas
Beispielsätze
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.
Stationnement toléré le dimanche.Parking tolerated on Sundays.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
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.
toléré means: not really, but nobody will stop you.
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