При пожаре нельзя пользоваться лифтом.

the elevator

Breakdown of При пожаре нельзя пользоваться лифтом.

• нельзя: must not
• пользоваться: to use
• пожар: the fire

Questions & Answers about При пожаре нельзя пользоваться лифтом.

Why does пожар become пожаре in this sentence?

Because при requires the prepositional case in this meaning.

• пожар = fire
• при пожаре = in case of fire / during a fire

So:

• nominative: пожар
• prepositional: при пожаре

This is a fixed and very common pattern: при + prepositional.

What exactly does при mean here?

Here при means something like in the event of, in case of, or during.

So при пожаре is not literally just near the fire. In this kind of safety language, it means:

• if there is a fire
• in case of fire

That is why this phrase is common on warning signs and instructions.

What does нельзя mean, and how strong is it?