Без прав нельзя водить машину.

In Russian, права is a very common everyday word meaning driver’s license. Even though it refers to one document in English, in Russian it is grammatically a plural-only noun in this meaning.

So:

• права = driver’s license
• без прав = without a driver’s license

This comes from the broader noun право meaning right, and права literally means rights, but in everyday Russian it also means license.

Because the preposition без always requires the genitive case.

The noun here is права (driver’s license), and its genitive plural form is прав.

So:

• права = driver’s license
• без прав = without a driver’s license

This is a fixed and very common phrase.

Нельзя is an impersonal word meaning something like:

• it is not allowed
• one must not
• you can’t / may not

In this sentence, it expresses prohibition, not physical inability.

So Без прав нельзя водить машину means that driving without a license is not permitted.

Compare:

• нельзя = not allowed
• не могу = I can’t / I’m unable

Russian often uses impersonal constructions when talking about rules, general truths, or what people in general can or cannot do.

So instead of saying something like You can’t drive a car without a license, Russian naturally says:

• Без прав нельзя водить машину

Literally, it is closer to:

• Without a license, it is not allowed to drive a car

This sounds normal and idiomatic in Russian.

These two expressions are related, but they are not the same.

• водить машину = to drive a car, to operate a car
• ездить на машине = to go/travel by car

In a sentence about whether someone is legally allowed to operate a vehicle, водить машину is the natural choice.

So:

• Без прав нельзя водить машину = you may not drive a car without a license

If you said ездить на машине, it would focus more on traveling by car, not specifically on the act of driving it.

Because машина is the direct object of водить.

• водить что? = to drive what?
• машину

Since машина is a feminine noun, its accusative singular form is машину.

So:

• nominative: машина
• accusative: машину

Yes, absolutely. That is also correct and very natural.

Both versions mean the same thing:

• Без прав нельзя водить машину
• Нельзя водить машину без прав

The difference is mainly emphasis:

• Без прав... puts focus on the condition without a license
• Нельзя водить машину... starts with the prohibition itself

Russian word order is flexible, so both are good.

No. A fuller, more formal expression is:

• водительские права = driver’s license
• водительское удостоверение = driver’s license / driving permit (more official)

So you may also see:

• Без водительских прав нельзя водить машину

But in everyday speech, just права is extremely common.

It strongly sounds like a rule or legal/social prohibition.

Because of нельзя, the sentence means something like:

• It is not allowed
• You are not permitted

So it sounds more like a rule than a suggestion.

If you wanted softer advice, Russian would use different wording.

Yes.

• водить машину = more everyday, conversational
• водить автомобиль = more formal

So both are correct:

• Без прав нельзя водить машину
• Без прав нельзя водить автомобиль

Most native speakers would probably use машину in ordinary speech.

In many everyday contexts involving driving, yes.

For example:

• Он ездит без прав = He drives without a license
• Без прав нельзя водить машину = You can’t drive a car without a license

But remember that права can also literally mean rights, depending on context. So context tells you whether it means:

• rights or
• driver’s license

In this sentence, because of водить машину, it clearly means driver’s license.