Learn French: C'est illégal, alors je ne vous laisse pas importer cette marchandise. - It is illegal, so I am not letting you import this merchandise.

C'est illégal, alors je ne vous laisse pas importer cette marchandise.

It is illegal, so I am not letting you import this merchandise.

Breakdown of C'est illégal, alors je ne vous laisse pas importer cette marchandise.

vous

you (plural/formal)

not (used before the verb)

pas

not (used after the verb)

Questions & Answers about C'est illégal, alors je ne vous laisse pas importer cette marchandise.

Why isn't there a preposition like à or de before importer?

The verb laisser (to let or to allow) connects directly to an infinitive verb without any connecting preposition. You simply place them side by side: laisser importer (to let [someone] import).

Why does vous come before laisse and not before importer?

In the laisser + infinitive structure, the pronoun for the person being allowed to do the action goes right before the conjugated verb (laisse). Even though English says "let you import", French puts the pronoun first: je ne vous laisse pas importer.

How does the negation ne ... pas work with the pronoun here?

The negative words ne and pas act like a sandwich around the conjugated verb and any object pronouns attached to it. Since vous must go directly before laisse, the negation wraps around that whole block: je ne [vous laisse] pas.

Why use C'est illégal instead of Il est illégal?

When making a general comment, stating a rule, or describing a situation (like the act of importing the merchandise), French uses c'est followed by a masculine singular adjective. You would use il est if "it" were referring back to a specific masculine noun mentioned earlier.