Russian Dictionary

нельзя

/nel'zya/

Description of нельзя

We use нельзя to express prohibition (rules, laws, social norms or health restrictions).

1.

can't

He can't eat sugar.

You can't smoke here.

You can't talk during the lesson.

One can't live like this!

2.

not allowed

She is not allowed to have sweets.

Swimming is not allowed here.

Running is not allowed in the hallway.

Fishing is not allowed here.

В музее нельзя фотографировать.

Photography is not allowed in the museum.

3.

mustn't

Children mustn't play near the road.

Visitors mustn't feed the animals.

Нельзя издеваться над животными.

You mustn't mistreat animals.

You mustn't get behind the wheel when you're drunk.

Real-life examples for нельзя

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content that does not reflect our opinions or policies.

"Отвечая на вопросы по этим темам, нужно быть достаточно точным, правовой язык — опора на законодательство, здесь фантазировать нельзя", — сказала Лазебникова.

"When answering questions on these topics, you need to be quite precise, the legal language is based on legislation, you can't fantasize here," Lazebnikova said.

RIA Novosti

«Жить в обществе и быть свободным от общества нельзя» — часто цитируемая и широко известная фраза из этой статьи Ленина.

"One cannot live in society and be free from society" is a frequently quoted and widely known phrase from this article by Lenin.

Wikipedia

А это означает, что препараты нужно применять строго по назначению врача, который установил диагноз «аллергия», и нельзя допускать передозировки, — отмечает врач-педиатр Мария Волкова.

This means that the drugs should be used strictly according to the prescription of the doctor who diagnosed the allergy, and overdose should not be allowed," says pediatrician Maria Volkova.

А непосредственно за три дня до начала процедуры нельзя распаривать лицо, лучше откажитесь от посещения бань и саун.

And just three days before the start of the procedure, you can not steam your face, it is better to avoid visiting baths and saunas.

Summary

  • The Russian word нельзя is commonly used to express that something is not allowed, forbidden or must not be done.
  • It can refer to rules, laws, social norms, health restrictions, or general impossibility.
  • Нельзя is usually followed by a verb in the infinitive. If a person is mentioned, they appear in the dative case (мне нельзя, тебе нельзя).