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É proibido fumar no restaurante.

É proibido fumar no restaurante.
Smoking is forbidden in the restaurant.
From Lesson 153:As expressões impessoais (é preciso, é proibido)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about É proibido fumar no restaurante.

Why does this sentence use fumar (to smoke) instead of a word ending in -ing like "smoking"?
When English uses an "-ing" word as the subject of a sentence (like "smoking"), Portuguese uses the basic infinitive form of the verb. So, "Smoking is forbidden" translates as É proibido fumar (literally, "To smoke is forbidden").
Why is it proibido (masculine) when there isn't a masculine noun here?
The adjective proibido describes the verb fumar. Because verbs don't have a gender in Portuguese, any adjective describing an action automatically defaults to the masculine singular form.
Why do we use É (from the verb ser) rather than Está (from the verb estar)?
The verb ser is used for permanent characteristics and established facts. A fixed rule like a smoking ban is treated as a permanent fact about the restaurant, so we use É instead of the temporary Está.
Why does it say no restaurante instead of just em restaurante?
In Portuguese, you almost always include the definite article ("the") before specific places like a restaurant. The preposition em (in/at) merges with the masculine article o (the) to form the required contraction no.

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