Paul interdit à Marie de courir dans la maison.

Paul forbids Marie from running in the house.

Breakdown of Paul interdit à Marie de courir dans la maison.

• Paul: Paul
• Marie: Marie
• la maison: the house
• dans: in

Questions & Answers about Paul interdit à Marie de courir dans la maison.

What does the verb interdire mean in this sentence?

It means “to forbid.” In this sentence, Paul is not allowing Marie to perform the action that follows.

Why is à Marie used after interdire?

The verb interdire requires an indirect object to show who is being forbidden. In French, this is expressed with the preposition à, so à Marie clearly indicates that Marie is the person who is not allowed to do something.

Why do we use de courir instead of a conjugated form of the verb?

After verbs like interdire that express prohibition, French grammar requires the following action to be in the infinitive form, preceded by the preposition de. Thus, de courir means “to run” (in the context of what is forbidden), rather than a conjugated form of courir.

What role does dans la maison play in the sentence?

Dans la maison provides additional information by specifying the location where the action is forbidden. It tells us that Marie is not allowed to run inside the house.

Is the sentence structure typical for expressions of prohibition in French?