Learn French: Vous voulez afficher ce document ? Il est interdit de l'afficher. - You want to post this document? It is forbidden to post it.

Vous voulez afficher ce document ? Il est interdit de l'afficher.

You want to post this document? It is forbidden to post it.

Breakdown of Vous voulez afficher ce document ? Il est interdit de l'afficher.

Questions & Answers about Vous voulez afficher ce document ? Il est interdit de l'afficher.

Why does this use Il est interdit instead of C'est interdit?

Both mean "It is forbidden", but il est is the standard impersonal pronoun used here because it introduces a formal structure followed by an adjective and an infinitive phrase (de l'afficher). While you will often hear C'est interdit de... in casual spoken French, il est is the grammatically strict choice for this impersonal passive construction.

Why do we need the preposition de before l'afficher?

In French, when you use an impersonal construction formatted as Il est + [adjective], you must use the preposition de to connect it to the infinitive verb that follows. Saying Il est interdit l'afficher without de is grammatically incorrect and a common trap for English speakers.

Why is the object pronoun l' placed right before afficher?

The pronoun l' (standing in for ce document) is the direct object of the action afficher, not of the impersonal expression est interdit. In French, object pronouns always go immediately before the specific verb they belong to, even when that verb is an infinitive.

Does afficher refer to posting a physical paper or posting something on a screen?

It can be both! Afficher translates to "to display" or "to put up". It originally comes from putting up a physical poster (une affiche on a wall), but in modern French, it is also the standard verb used in software and websites for displaying a document, image, or message on a screen.