Infinitives: забороня́ти (imperfective) / заборони́ти (perfective) — "to forbid, to ban, to prohibit" Type: a regular suffix-derived aspect pair (imperfective -я́ти ↔ perfective -ити) with a mobile-stress perfective — the stress sits on the ending in the 1sg (забороню́) but jumps back to the stem (заборо́ниш) everywhere else
забороня́ти / заборони́ти is the exact opposite of дозволя́ти "to allow," and it shares the same government: the person forbidden goes in the DATIVE, and the forbidden action is an INFINITIVE. English "forbid someone to do something" tempts you toward an accusative, but Ukrainian frames the ban as something imposed on a person — заборони́ти ді́тям (dative) гра́тися біля доро́ги "forbid the children to play near the road." Two things make this verb a B2 entry rather than an A2 one. First, its perfective has a mobile stress that catches everyone: it is забороню́ (end-stress) in the 1sg but заборо́ниш, заборо́нить, заборо́нять (stem-stress) elsewhere. Second, it powers the single most visible grammatical construction in Ukrainian public life: the impersonal -но sign — Курити заборо́нено "No smoking," Вхід заборо́нено "No entry" — which you will read a dozen times a day in Ukraine. Stress is marked on every form below.
Present tense — imperfective забороня́ти only
Only the imperfective has a present. забороня́ти is a regular first-conjugation -я́ти verb, suffix-stressed on -ня́- throughout (забороня́ю), with no consonant mutation in the 1sg.
| Person | забороня́ти — PRESENT | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | забороня́ю | I forbid / am forbidding |
| ти | забороня́єш | you forbid (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | забороня́є | he / she / it forbids |
| ми | забороня́ємо | we forbid |
| ви | забороня́єте | you forbid (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | забороня́ють | they forbid |
The imperfective present states standing bans and rules: Зако́н забороня́є продава́ти алкого́ль непо́внолітнім "The law forbids selling alcohol to minors" — a prohibition that holds in general.
Тре́нер забороня́є нам пи́ти газо́вану во́ду пе́ред гро́ю.
The coach forbids us to drink fizzy water before a match. (Standing rule — present забороня́є + dative нам + infinitive.)
Пра́вила бу́динку забороня́ють трима́ти соба́к на балко́ні.
The building rules forbid keeping dogs on the balcony. (General ban — забороня́ють + infinitive.)
Past tense — gendered
Both aspects build the regular gendered past in -в / -ла / -ло / -ли. Note the stress: the perfective past is end-stressed заборони́в (the stress stays on -ни́- in all four genders), parallel to the 1sg забороню́, not to the stem-stressed 2sg.
| Gender / number | забороня́ти (impf) | заборони́ти (pf) |
|---|---|---|
| masculine (він) | забороня́в | заборони́в |
| feminine (вона́) | забороня́ла | заборони́ла |
| neuter (воно́) | забороня́ло | заборони́ло |
| plural (вони́) | забороня́ли | заборони́ли |
Лі́кар суво́ро заборони́в йому́ підніма́ти важке́ після опера́ції.
The doctor strictly forbade him to lift anything heavy after the operation. (Single act — perfective заборони́в + dative йому́ + infinitive.)
У дити́нстві ба́тьки забороня́ли мені́ диви́тися телеві́зор уве́чері.
As a child my parents used to forbid me to watch TV in the evening. (Ongoing past rule — imperfective забороня́ли + dative мені́.)
Future tense
The two aspects build the future in completely different ways.
Perfective заборони́ти — the simple future, MOBILE stress
The perfective has no present; its present-looking forms ARE its future. This is the form to study: the stress is mobile. In the 1sg it lands on the ending — забороню́ — but from the 2sg onward it retracts to the stem заборо́-: заборо́ниш, заборо́нить, заборо́нять. There is no consonant mutation; only the stress moves.
| Person | заборони́ти — FUTURE | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | забороню́ | I'll forbid |
| ти | заборо́ниш | you'll forbid (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | заборо́нить | he / she / it will forbid |
| ми | заборо́нимо | we'll forbid |
| ви | заборо́ните | you'll forbid (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | заборо́нять | they'll forbid |
This 1sg-versus-rest stress split is the same pattern you see in many -ити verbs (пишу́ ↔ пи́шеш, ношу́ ↔ но́сиш). The rule of thumb: the stress hops onto the ending only in the "я" form.
Якщо́ ти й да́лі так пово́дитимешся, я забороню́ тобі́ ви́ходити на ти́ждень.
If you keep behaving like this, I'll forbid you to go out for a week. (Perfective future 1sg забороню́ — stress on the very last syllable, the standard form.)
Сподіва́юся, нови́й зако́н заборо́нить таку́ рекла́му.
I hope the new law will ban such advertising. (Perfective future 3sg заборо́нить — stress on the stem.)
Imperfective забороня́ти — both compound futures
The imperfective forms its future two ways, identical in meaning: analytic (бу́ду + infinitive) and synthetic -му, both describing a ban as an ongoing future policy.
| Person | Analytic (бу́ду + inf.) | Synthetic (-му) |
|---|---|---|
| я | бу́ду забороня́ти | забороня́тиму |
| ти | бу́деш забороня́ти | забороня́тимеш |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | бу́де забороня́ти | забороня́тиме |
| ми | бу́демо забороня́ти | забороня́тимемо |
| ви | бу́дете забороня́ти | забороня́тимете |
| вони́ | бу́дуть забороня́ти | забороня́тимуть |
Я не забороня́тиму тобі́ дружи́ти з ким хо́чеш.
I won't forbid you to be friends with whoever you like. (Imperfective synthetic future — an ongoing stance.)
Imperative
The imperative follows each aspect's present/future stem. The perfective imperative is заборони́ (informal) / забороні́ть (formal) — the stress stays on -ні́- in both forms, parallel to the end-stressed 1sg забороню́ and the past заборони́в. The 3rd person uses хай / неха́й.
| Addressee | забороня́ти (impf) | заборони́ти (pf) |
|---|---|---|
| ти (informal) | забороня́й | заборони́ |
| ви (formal / plural) | забороня́йте | забороні́ть |
| 3rd person (let…) | хай / неха́й забороня́є | хай / неха́й заборо́нить |
Забороні́ть йому́ виходи́ти, по́ки не спаде́ температу́ра.
Forbid him to go out until his fever drops. (Perfective imperative забороні́ть + dative йому́ + infinitive.)
Participles, verbal adverbs, and the impersonal -но
The perfective yields two high-frequency forms. The long-form participle заборо́нений "forbidden, banned" is used attributively (заборо́нена кни́га "a banned book"). But far more important is the impersonal predicative заборо́нено "[it is] forbidden" — see §3 below, the most-seen sign in Ukraine. The verbal adverbs забороня́ючи / заборони́вши are (literary / written).
Government & key uses
1. DATIVE person + INFINITIVE — the core pattern
The person forbidden is in the dative; the forbidden action is an infinitive. заборони́ти студе́нтам (dat.) користува́тися телефо́нами (inf.) "forbid students to use phones." Exactly the mirror of дозволя́ти / дозво́лити, and another entry in the case government of verbs.
Ма́ма заборони́ла ді́тям відчиня́ти две́рі незнайо́мцям.
Mum forbade the children to open the door to strangers. (Dative ді́тям + infinitive відчиня́ти — the model.)
2. The forbidden thing as an object → accusative
When you forbid a thing or activity named by a noun rather than an infinitive, that noun takes the accusative: заборони́ти мітинг "to ban the rally," заборони́ти па́ртію "to ban the party." Here there may be no dative person at all — the focus is on outlawing the thing itself.
Суд заборони́в дія́льність ці́єї організа́ції.
The court banned the activities of this organisation. (Accusative дія́льність — forbidding a thing, no dative person.)
3. The impersonal -но sign: Курити заборо́нено / Вхід заборо́нено
This is the construction you cannot live in Ukraine without. The perfective feeds the impersonal predicative in -но: заборо́нено "[it is] forbidden" — a fixed, subjectless, genderless form. It combines with an infinitive (Кури́ти заборо́нено "Smoking is forbidden") or stands after a noun subject (Вхід заборо́нено "Entry forbidden"). The register is official / regulatory, the tone impersonal and absolute — no one "does" the forbidding; it simply is forbidden. For the full mechanics of this verbal form see the -но/-то impersonal and impersonal constructions.
На терито́рії запові́дника розклада́ти бага́ття суво́ро заборо́нено.
Lighting fires in the reserve area is strictly forbidden. (Impersonal заборо́нено + infinitive — the classic sign register.)
Сторо́ннім вхід заборо́нено.
No entry for unauthorised persons. (Impersonal заборо́нено after a dative + noun — a sign you'll see on every back door in Ukraine.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Учи́тель заборони́в у́чнів розмовля́ти на уро́ці.
Government error — the forbidden person is DATIVE, not accusative: Учи́тель заборони́в у́чням розмовля́ти на уро́ці.
✅ Учи́тель заборони́в у́чням розмовля́ти на уро́ці.
The teacher forbade the pupils to talk in class — dative у́чням + infinitive.
❌ Я заборо́ню тобі́ це роби́ти.
Mobile-stress error in the 1sg — the standard 'я' form is end-stressed забороню́: Я забороню́ тобі́ це роби́ти.
✅ Я забороню́ тобі́ це роби́ти.
I'll forbid you to do this — 1sg забороню́ (end stress).
❌ Ти забороню́єш мені́ все.
Mobile-stress error in the 2sg — the stress retracts off the ending: it is заборо́ниш, not 'забороню́єш': Ти заборо́ниш... — but note the imperfective present is забороня́єш.
✅ Ти забороня́єш мені́ все.
You forbid me everything — imperfective present забороня́єш (for a habitual ban).
❌ Тут кури́ти заборо́нена.
The impersonal -но form is invariable — never agreeing as -на/-не: Тут кури́ти заборо́нено.
✅ Кури́ти заборо́нено.
No smoking — invariable impersonal заборо́нено.
❌ За́втра я бу́ду заборони́ти ді́тям гра́тися надво́рі.
Aspect/future error — perfective заборони́ти already IS the future; never after бу́ду: За́втра я забороню́ ді́тям гра́тися надво́рі.
✅ За́втра я забороню́ ді́тям гра́тися надво́рі.
Tomorrow I'll forbid the children to play outside — perfective simple future забороню́.
Key Takeaways
- Suffix pair: imperfective забороня́ти (present: забороня́ю, забороня́єш, забороня́є, забороня́ємо, забороня́єте, забороня́ють) vs perfective заборони́ти (future: забороню́, заборо́ниш, заборо́нить, заборо́нимо, заборо́ните, заборо́нять).
- Mobile stress — the perfective 1sg is end-stressed забороню́, but every other future form retracts to the stem заборо́- (заборо́ниш…). The past is end-stressed throughout (заборони́в).
- Government: DATIVE person + INFINITIVE (заборони́ти дітям кричати); a forbidden thing (a rally, a party) takes the accusative.
- The perfective feeds the omnipresent impersonal -но sign заборо́нено "[it is] forbidden" — invariable, official register (Кури́ти заборо́нено, Вхід заборо́нено).
- It is the exact mirror of дозволя́ти / дозво́лити "to allow" — same dative-plus-infinitive frame, opposite meaning.
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- Verb Reference: Дозволяти / Дозволити (to allow)B2 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for the aspect pair дозволя́ти / дозво́лити 'to allow, to permit'. Covers the full imperfective present (дозволя́ю), the perfective simple future (дозво́лю, дозво́лиш… with fixed stem stress), the gendered past, both imperfective futures, the imperative дозво́ль, and the verb's defining government: DATIVE person + infinitive (дозво́лити ді́тям гуля́ти), the polite Дозво́льте…, and the impersonal -но Це дозво́лено.
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