Just as you use impersonal constructions to express needs (надо / нужно), you use a similar structure to talk about what is allowed or forbidden.
Expressing Prohibitions
To state that an action is forbidden, use нельзя followed by an infinitive. You will often see this on signs (знак) in public spaces to indicate rules against parking, littering, or making noise.
| Here is a park, parking on the lawn is not allowed. | Здесь парк, на газоне нельзя парковаться. |
| Do you see this sign? Littering is not allowed here. | Вы видите этот знак? Здесь нельзя мусорить. |
| We need to go, because making noise here is not allowed. | Нам нужно идти, потому что здесь нельзя шуметь. |
Asking for and Granting Permission
To say that something is allowed, use можно followed by the infinitive. To ask a question, simply use the same statement but raise your intonation at the end.
| Is it allowed to park near the theater? | Можно парковаться около театра? |
| Is it allowed to enter this office? | В этот кабинет можно входить? |
Specifying Who Has Permission
When a rule is general, you do not need to specify a person. To ask if a specific person is allowed to do something, use a Dative case pronoun (such as мне, вам, or нам) right after можно or нельзя.
| May I touch this stone? | Можно мне трогать этот камень? |
Public Spaces and Safety
These impersonal constructions are common when navigating places like museums, rivers, or hospitals. Notice how нельзя is used with verbs like входить (to enter) or купаться (to swim) to warn you about local policies or physical dangers.
| You are not allowed to enter the museum with a beverage. | В музей нельзя входить с напитком. |
| Swimming in the river is not allowed, the water is very cold. | В реке нельзя купаться, вода очень холодная. |
| Touching the paintings here is not allowed. | Здесь нельзя трогать картины. |
