🚫🙋

How to Say ‘I'm not allowed’ in French

Je n'ai pas le droit

zhuh n ay pah luh DRWAH

[zhuh n ay pah luh DRWAH]

💬 Usage Tip: Add de plus a verb to say what's forbidden: Je n'ai pas le droit de stationner ici "I'm not allowed to park here".

Phrase Breakdown

Je n'ai pas

zhuh n ay pah

I don't have

This is 'avoir' negated with ne...pas, and 'ne' becomes n' before 'ai'. Say 'je né pa'.

Example

Je n'ai pas le temps.

I don't have time.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

[n]

not

Used to indicate negation or absence.

Example

Ce distributeur n'est pas encore disponible.

This ATM is not available yet.

[ay]

have

Form of 'avoir' used with past participles to make the past tense.

Example

J'ai beaucoup appris grâce à notre discussion.

I learned a lot thanks to our discussion.

pas

[pah]

not

Used with 'ne' to form a negative.

Example

Je ne comprends pas.

I do not understand.

le droit

luh DRWAH

the right / permission

'Avoir le droit' means 'to be allowed'. Say 'le drwa'. The t is silent.

Example

Tu as le droit de parler.

You're allowed to speak.

Words in this phrase

[luh]

the

Used as a function word to indicate a noun and to mark the noun as definite.

Example

Le chat noir.

The black cat.

droit

[DRWAH]

right (permission)

Noun: legal right or permission; 'avoir le droit de' = to be allowed to.

Example

On a le droit de stationner ici.

We're allowed to park here.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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