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BeginnerProhibitives & Negative Commands
How languages express commands not to do something in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Compare languages
Prohibitives are commands to refrain from an action. Spanish uses no + subjunctive or imperatives with no. English uses don't + imperative. Chinese uses 不要/别/禁止/不许.
Overview
Prohibitives express commands not to perform an action. They range from polite requests to strict legal prohibitions.
- Spanish: Negative imperatives use the present subjunctive forms. No vayas is the standard negative command. Public signs use nominalized forms (prohibido fumar). Softening uses the conditional or subjunctive in independent clauses.
- English: Uses don’t + base verb for almost all prohibitives. No person distinctions. Public signs use gerunds (no smoking). Softening uses modal remoteness (you might not want to).
- Chinese: Uses 别 for casual prohibitions, 不要 for more emphatic ones, 不许/禁止 for strong/official bans. 千万别 adds urgency.
Spanish
No + subjunctive (standard prohibition)
Spanish negative commands use the present subjunctive:
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú | ¡Ven! | ¡No vengas! |
| usted | ¡Venga! | ¡No venga! |
| vosotros | ¡Venid! | ¡No vengáis! |
| ustedes | ¡Vengan! | ¡No vengan! |
| nosotros | ¡Vamos! | ¡No vayamos! |
Examples:
- ¡No toques eso! (Don’t touch that!)
- ¡No digas eso! (Don’t say that!)
- ¡No te preocupes! (Don’t worry!)
- ¡No lo hagas! (Don’t do it!)
First person negative (let’s not)
- ¡No vayamos! (Let’s not go!)
- ¡No comamos aquí! (Let’s not eat here!)
Impersonal prohibitions
Official/formal:
- Prohibido fumar. (Smoking prohibited.)
- Prohibido el paso. (No entry.)
- No se permite la entrada. (Entry not permitted.)
- Está prohibido aparcar. (Parking is prohibited.)
- Vetado el paso. (Entry forbidden.)
Se + verb:
- No se puede nadar. (Swimming is not allowed.)
- No se debe tocar. (One must not touch.)
Softened prohibitions
- Será mejor que no lo hagas. (It would be better if you didn’t do it.)
- Más te vale no llegar tarde. (You’d better not be late.)
- Te aconsejo que no… (I advise you not to…)
- Ojalá no… (I hope you don’t…)
Nunca + negative command
- ¡Nunca digas eso! (Never say that!)
- ¡Nunca lo hagas! (Never do it!)
Negative command with pronoun placement
In negative commands, pronouns precede the verb:
- ¡No me digas! (Don’t tell me!)
- ¡No lo toques! (Don’t touch it!)
- ¡No se lo des! (Don’t give it to him!)
English
Don’t + imperative (standard)
English uses don’t for all persons in negative commands:
- Don’t go!
- Don’t touch!
- Don’t be late!
- Don’t worry!
- Don’t do it!
Let’s not (first person plural)
- Let’s not go.
- Let’s not worry about it.
- Let’s not be pessimistic.
No + gerund (public signs)
- No smoking.
- No parking.
- No entry.
- No swimming.
- No pets allowed.
- No unauthorized personnel.
Modal prohibitions (stronger)
- You must not smoke. (strong prohibition)
- You may not enter. (permission denied)
- You cannot park here. (impossibility = prohibition)
- You are not allowed to smoke.
- You are forbidden to enter.
Softened prohibitions
- You might not want to do that.
- I’d avoid that if I were you.
- It would be better if you didn’t.
- I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
- Perhaps you shouldn’t…
- I’m not sure you should…
Never + imperative
- Never touch that!
- Never say that again!
- Never go there alone!
Third person (let + not)
- Don’t let him go. / Let him not go. (archaic)
- Don’t let it happen.
Chinese
别 (casual prohibition)
别 is the most common spoken prohibition, softer and more natural than 不要:
- 别走！(Don’t go!)
- 别碰！(Don’t touch!)
- 别担心！(Don’t worry!)
- 别说了！(Stop talking!)
不要 (emphatic prohibition)
不要 is more emphatic or formal than 别:
- 不要走！(Don’t go! — stronger)
- 不要迟到！(Don’t be late!)
- 不要忘了！(Don’t forget!)
不许/不准/不能 (strong/official prohibition)
- 不许抽烟！(No smoking!)
- 不准停车！(No parking!)
- 不能进去！(Can’t enter!)
禁止 (formal/legal prohibition)
- 禁止吸烟！(Smoking prohibited!)
- 禁止停车！(Parking prohibited!)
- 禁止入内！(Entry prohibited!)
请勿 (polite request not to)
- 请勿触摸。(Please do not touch.)
- 请勿大声喧哗。(Please do not make noise.)
- 请勿靠近。(Please keep away.)
千万别 (urgent/strong)
- 千万别去！(Whatever you do, don’t go!)
- 千万别忘了！(Whatever you do, don’t forget!)
- 千万别告诉他！(Whatever you do, don’t tell him!)
不要/别 + 了 (cessative)
- 别吃了！(Stop eating!)
- 不要说了！(Stop talking!)
Note: 了 here marks cessation of an ongoing action.
Softened prohibitions
- 最好别…(You’d better not…)
- 还是不要…(You might not want to…)
- 不要…好不好？(Don’t… okay?)
Comparison at a glance
| Type | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard prohibition | No + subjunctive | Don’t + verb | 别 / 不要 |
| Public sign | Prohibido + infinitive | No + gerund | 禁止 + verb |
| Polite request | No + subjunctive (soft tone) | Please don’t… | 请勿… |
| Strong prohibition | Está prohibido / No se permite | You must not… | 不许 / 不准 |
| Urgent | ¡Nunca…! | Never…! | 千万别… |
| Let’s not | No + subjunctive (nosotros) | Let’s not… | 我们别… |
| Softened | Será mejor que no… | You might not want to… | 最好别… |
Examples in context
Don’t go!
- ES: ¡No vayas!
- EN: Don’t go!
- ZH: 别走！
No smoking
- ES: Prohibido fumar. / No fumar.
- EN: No smoking. / Smoking prohibited.
- ZH: 禁止吸烟。
Let’s not worry
- ES: ¡No nos preocupemos!
- EN: Let’s not worry.
- ZH: 我们别担心。
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: No vas (indicative) → No vayas (subjunctive)
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 不要走 in all contexts → 别走 is more natural for casual
-
Spanish speakers learning English: No toques as a full sentence in signs → English uses No touching (nominalized)
-
Chinese speakers learning English: Please not go → Please don’t go / Don’t go, please
Related topics
- Imperatives: How affirmative commands work
- Modals: How modal verbs express permission and prohibition
- Sentence-Final Particles: How particles soften commands
- Formal vs Informal: How register affects command choice
Examples
Don't go!
¡No vayas! (no + subjunctive/imperative)
Don't touch!
¡No toques!
No smoking
Prohibido fumar / No fumar / Se prohíbe fumar
Don't be late
No llegues tarde
You must not...
No debes... / Está prohibido...
Never...
Nunca + subjunctive / Nunca + imperativo negativo
Let's not...
No vayamos... (negative imperative nosotros)
Softened prohibition
Será mejor que no... / Más te vale no...
Examples
Don't go!
Don't go!
Don't touch!
Don't touch!
No smoking
No smoking / Smoking prohibited
Don't be late
Don't be late
You must not...
You must not... / You are not allowed to...
Never...
Never + imperative
Let's not...
Let's not...
Softened prohibition
You might not want to... / I'd avoid... if I were you
Examples
Don't go!
别走！ / 不要走！
Don't touch!
别碰！ / 不许碰！
No smoking
禁止吸烟 / 不许抽烟
Don't be late
别迟到
You must not...
不能... / 不可以...
Never...
千万别... / 永远不要...
Let's not...
我们别... / 不要...
Softened prohibition
最好别... / 还是不要...
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don't go! | ¡No vayas! (no + subjunctive/imperative) | Don't go! | 别走！ / 不要走！ |
| Don't touch! | ¡No toques! | Don't touch! | 别碰！ / 不许碰！ |
| No smoking | Prohibido fumar / No fumar / Se prohíbe fumar | No smoking / Smoking prohibited | 禁止吸烟 / 不许抽烟 |
| Don't be late | No llegues tarde | Don't be late | 别迟到 |
| You must not... | No debes... / Está prohibido... | You must not... / You are not allowed to... | 不能... / 不可以... |
| Never... | Nunca + subjunctive / Nunca + imperativo negativo | Never + imperative | 千万别... / 永远不要... |
| Let's not... | No vayamos... (negative imperative nosotros) | Let's not... | 我们别... / 不要... |
| Softened prohibition | Será mejor que no... / Más te vale no... | You might not want to... / I'd avoid... if I were you | 最好别... / 还是不要... |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don't go! | ¡No vayas! (no + subjunctive/imperative) | Don't go! | 别走！ / 不要走！ |
| Don't touch! | ¡No toques! | Don't touch! | 别碰！ / 不许碰！ |
| No smoking | Prohibido fumar / No fumar / Se prohíbe fumar | No smoking / Smoking prohibited | 禁止吸烟 / 不许抽烟 |
| Don't be late | No llegues tarde | Don't be late | 别迟到 |
| You must not... | No debes... / Está prohibido... | You must not... / You are not allowed to... | 不能... / 不可以... |
| Never... | Nunca + subjunctive / Nunca + imperativo negativo | Never + imperative | 千万别... / 永远不要... |
| Let's not... | No vayamos... (negative imperative nosotros) | Let's not... | 我们别... / 不要... |
| Softened prohibition | Será mejor que no... / Más te vale no... | You might not want to... / I'd avoid... if I were you | 最好别... / 还是不要... |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
Don't go!
Spanish
¡No vayas! (no + subjunctive/imperative)
English
Don't go!
Chinese
别走！ / 不要走！
Don't touch!
Spanish
¡No toques!
English
Don't touch!
Chinese
别碰！ / 不许碰！
No smoking
Spanish
Prohibido fumar / No fumar / Se prohíbe fumar
English
No smoking / Smoking prohibited
Chinese
禁止吸烟 / 不许抽烟
Don't be late
Spanish
No llegues tarde
English
Don't be late
Chinese
别迟到
You must not...
Spanish
No debes... / Está prohibido...
English
You must not... / You are not allowed to...
Chinese
不能... / 不可以...
Never...
Spanish
Nunca + subjunctive / Nunca + imperativo negativo
English
Never + imperative
Chinese
千万别... / 永远不要...
Let's not...
Spanish
No vayamos... (negative imperative nosotros)
English
Let's not...
Chinese
我们别... / 不要...
Softened prohibition
Spanish
Será mejor que no... / Más te vale no...
English
You might not want to... / I'd avoid... if I were you
Chinese
最好别... / 还是不要...
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Negative imperatives use the present subjunctive forms. No vayas is the standard negative command. Public signs use nominalized forms (prohi...
English: Uses don't + base verb for almost all prohibitives. No person distinctions. Public signs use gerunds (no smoking). Softening uses modal remo...
Chinese: Uses 别bié for casual prohibitions, 不bù要yào for more emphatic ones, 不bù许xǔ/禁jīn止zhǐ for strong/official bans. 千qiān万wàn别bié adds urgency.
Key concepts compared: Don't go!, Don't touch!, No smoking.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026