English–French

“forbid” in French

French

Alsointerdire

Pronunciation

IPA/defɑ̃dʁ/

Example

Je te défends de sortir ce soir.

I forbid you from going out tonight.

Illustration for défendre (forbid)

How to say “forbid” in French

“Forbid” in French is défendre.

A shield pushes danger, an opponent, or an unwanted action away.

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

Example sentences with défendre

Je défends mon ami quand on le critique.

I defend my friend when people criticize him.

Tips for using défendre

  • In 'Je te défends de sortir', défendre takes a person before de plus an infinitive and expresses a direct personal prohibition.

Other French words for “forbid”

Je t'interdis de fumer.

I forbid you to smoke.

“forbid” in other languages