English–German

“be allowed to” in German

German

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈdʏʁfən/

Example

Du darfst hier rauchen.

You may smoke here.

Illustration for dürfen (be allowed to)

How to say “be allowed to” in German

“Be allowed to” in German is dürfen. dürfen can also mean “may”.

A person stands at an open gate with explicit permission to pass.

Full entry for dürfen: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with dürfen

Wir dürfen heute länger im Garten spielen.

We are allowed to play in the garden a little longer today.

Sie dürfen den Raum jetzt betreten.

You may enter the room now.

Tips for using dürfen

  • After dürfen, another verb appears as a bare infinitive, as in Du darfst hier rauchen, without zu.

Related English words

“be allowed to” in other languages