Je mag de schuur niet betreden.

You may not enter the shed.

Breakdown of Je mag de schuur niet betreden.

• jij: you
• niet: not
• de schuur: the shed
• mogen: may
• betreden: to enter

Questions & Answers about Je mag de schuur niet betreden.

Why is mag used here and what exactly does it indicate?

mag is the second-person singular form of the modal verb mogen (to be allowed to). It expresses permission (or here: a prohibition when negated). In English terms:

• mag = “you are allowed to”
• mag niet = “you are not allowed to”

Compare with other modals:

• kunnen expresses ability (“can”)
• moeten expresses obligation (“must”)

So in Je mag de schuur niet betreden, mag niet bans entry rather than stating lack of ability or imposing a duty.

Why is niet placed immediately before betreden?

In Dutch, niet generally precedes the part of the sentence it negates. Here it negates the action betreden (to enter). The typical word order is:

1. Subject (Je)
2. Finite verb (mag) – V2 rule
3. Object (de schuur)
4. Negation (niet)
5. Infinitive verb (betreden)

Putting niet right before betreden makes clear you’re forbidding the act of entering.

Why is there no te before betreden?

After a modal verb in Dutch, the following verb remains in the bare infinitive. You only use te before an infinitive when there’s no modal preceding it. For example:

• With modal: Je mag de schuur niet betreden.
• Without modal: Je probeert de schuur te betreden.

Why is the infinitive betreden at the end of the sentence?

Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb must be in second position, and any other verbs (infinitives, past participles) go to the end. Here:

1st position: Je
2nd position: mag (finite verb)
…
Last position: betreden (infinitive)

What exactly is de schuur? Does it mean barn or shed?

Schuur is a covered building used for storage. In English it can be:

• a shed (e.g. for garden tools), or
• a barn (for hay, farm equipment, sometimes animals)

Context decides size and purpose. If you want to be specific, you could say tuinschuur (garden shed) or stal (stable).

If I want to sound more formal, can I use u instead of je?

Yes. Simply replace je with u (the polite form). The verb stays the same:

U mag de schuur niet betreden.

This is appropriate for official notices or addressing strangers politely.

How might you phrase this prohibition on a sign in Dutch?

Official notices often use an impersonal, concise style. Common options:

• Verboden de schuur te betreden.
• Betreden van de schuur verboden.
• Betreden verboden.

These drop the personal pronoun and modal and use verboden (forbidden) plus an infinitive or noun phrase.

Could I say Je mag niet de schuur betreden instead of Je mag de schuur niet betreden?

Grammatically it’s possible but awkward. Placing niet before the object shifts the negation onto “the shed” (i.e. “you may enter everything except the shed”). The normal Dutch order puts niet directly before betreden when negating the action itself.

What’s the difference between mag niet, moet niet, and hoeft niet?

• mag niet = prohibition (“you are not allowed to”)
• moet niet = advice or mild prohibition (“you shouldn’t” or “you must not” in a less formal sense)
• hoeft niet = absence of obligation (“you don’t have to”)

Examples:

• Je mag niet roken. (strictly forbidden)
• Je moet niet roken. (you’d better not smoke / it’s advised against)
• Je hoeft niet te roken. (there’s no need for you to smoke)