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C'est une règle importante : il est interdit de nager ici.

C'est une règle importante : il est interdit de nager ici.
It is an important rule: it is forbidden to swim here.
From Lesson 54:The verb to be able to (pouvoir)·French

Questions & Answers about C'est une règle importante : il est interdit de nager ici.

Since this lesson is about pouvoir (can), how would I say this using pouvoir?
You could say on ne peut pas nager ici (people cannot swim here). The phrase in this sentence, il est interdit de (it is forbidden to), is just a more formal way to state a rule.
Why does the sentence use both c'est and il est to mean "it is"?
We use c'est when introducing a noun phrase, like une règle importante. We use the impersonal il est when using an adjective to introduce an action, like il est interdit de nager. In everyday spoken French, you might hear people say c'est interdit de nager, but il est is the correct formal rule.
Why is it règle importante instead of importante règle?
In French, most adjectives are placed after the noun they describe. Also, notice that importante ends with an -e to match the feminine noun règle.
Why is there a de right before nager?
The set expression is il est interdit de (it is forbidden to). Many French phrases require the preposition de before you attach an infinitive verb like nager. You cannot simply say il est interdit nager.

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