Prohibir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

prohibir means "to forbid, to prohibit" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Prohibir means "to forbid" or "to prohibit", and it is the formal opposite of permitir. It appears on signs, in rules, in laws and in parental decisions: prohibido fumar, the law forbids parking here, the doctor forbids salt. The preterite of prohibir is used to report a specific ban that was imposed at a particular moment — yesterday the school banned phones, last year the city prohibited plastic bags. The present tense carries a written accent on the i (prohíbo, prohíbes, prohíbe, prohíben), verified against the standard reference (Reverso Conjugator). Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of prohibir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the prohibir preterite tense page.

prohibir in everyday use: examples with translations

Bans at school and at home

  1. El colegio prohíbe comer en clase. — "The school forbids eating in class."
  2. Nosotros prohibimos fumar en la oficina. — "We forbid smoking in the office."
  3. Ayer el director prohibió los móviles en clase. — "Yesterday the headteacher banned mobile phones in class."
  4. Antes el colegio no prohibía llevar uniforme. — "Before, the school didn't forbid wearing a uniform."

Laws and public bans

  1. La ley prohíbe aparcar en doble fila. — "The law forbids double parking."
  2. El año pasado la ciudad prohibió las bolsas de plástico. — "Last year the city banned plastic bags."
  3. El gobierno prohibirá los coches diésel en el centro. — "The government will ban diesel cars in the centre."
  4. El ayuntamiento ha prohibido la venta ambulante. — "The council has banned street selling."

Personal bans and orders

  1. Yo prohíbo a mi hijo jugar con el móvil. — "I forbid my son to play with the phone."
  2. El médico me prohibió comer sal. — "The doctor forbade me to eat salt."
  3. Yo prohibiría la fiesta si hay alcohol. — "I would forbid the party if there is alcohol."
  4. Mis padres prohíben llegar tarde entre semana. — "My parents forbid coming home late on weekdays."

prohibir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use prohibir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

A sign at the park entrance starts a conversation.

  • Sara: El cartel prohíbe fumar en el parque. — "The sign forbids smoking in the park."
  • Tomás: El año pasado el ayuntamiento prohibió las barbacoas aquí. — "Last year the council banned barbecues here."
  • Sara: ¿El parque prohíbe entrar con perros? — "Does the park forbid entering with dogs?"
  • Tomás: No, el parque no prohíbe los perros con correa. — "No, the park doesn't forbid dogs on a lead."

A father explains a new house rule.

  • Padre: Ayer yo prohibí la televisión después de las diez. — "Yesterday I banned television after ten."
  • Hija: ¿Tú prohíbes ver la televisión siempre? — "Do you forbid watching television always?"
  • Padre: Yo prohíbo verla tarde, no verla nunca. — "I forbid watching it late, not watching it ever."
  • Hija: El médico también prohíbe comer dulces. — "The doctor also forbids eating sweets."

Common mistakes with prohibir

The errors learners actually make with prohibir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *El director prohibió a los móviles en clase (using a + noun where an infinitive belongs).

✓ Correct: El director prohibió los móviles en clase.

Prohibir takes a direct object or an infinitive: prohibir los móviles, prohibir fumar. The personal a is only for people: prohibir a los alumnos salir.

✗ *Ayer el director prohíbe los móviles (present instead of preterite for a finished past event).

✓ Correct: Ayer el director prohibió los móviles en clase.

Ayer marks a completed past action, so the preterite prohibió is needed, not the present prohíbe/prohíbe.

✗ *Nosotros prohibimos fumar en la oficina (written as present when the ban happened last week).

✓ Correct: La semana pasada nosotros prohibimos fumar en la oficina.

Prohibimos is both present and preterite for nosotros — the time expression (la semana pasada) tells the reader which tense it is, so include one.

✗ *El médico me prohibió a comer sal.

✓ Correct: El médico me prohibió comer sal.

After prohibir, the infinitive follows directly with no preposition: prohibir comer, not prohibir a comer.

Quiz: prohibir in use

Ten questions on prohibir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: El colegio ______ comer en clase. — "The school forbids eating in class."

  • a) prohíbes
  • b) prohibió
  • c) prohíbe
  • d) prohíbo

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer el director ______ los móviles en clase. — "Yesterday the headteacher banned mobile phones in class."

  • a) prohibió
  • b) prohibiste
  • c) prohíbe
  • d) prohibí

3. Complete the sentence: El año pasado la ciudad ______ las bolsas de plástico. — "Last year the city banned plastic bags."

  • a) prohibiste
  • b) prohibió
  • c) prohibí
  • d) prohíbe

4. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a mi hijo jugar con el móvil. — "I forbid my son to play with the phone."

  • a) prohíbe
  • b) prohíbes
  • c) prohíbo
  • d) prohibí

5. Which is the correct present tense form of prohibir for yo?

  • a) prohibimos
  • b) prohíbo
  • c) prohíbes
  • d) prohíbe

6. Which is the correct present tense form of prohibir for tú?

  • a) prohibimos
  • b) prohíbo
  • c) prohíbe
  • d) prohíbes

7. Which is the correct present tense form of prohibir for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) prohíbes
  • b) prohíbo
  • c) prohíben
  • d) prohíbe

8. Which sentence uses prohibir correctly?

  • a) Nosotros prohibíamos las bebidas en la biblioteca.
  • b) Nosotros prohibimos las bebidas en la biblioteca.
  • c) Nosotros prohíbe las bebidas en la biblioteca.

9. What is the past participle of prohibir?

  • a) prohíbo
  • b) prohibido
  • c) prohibió
  • d) prohibiendo

10. What does prohibir mean in English?

  • a) to allow
  • b) to go
  • c) to have
  • d) to forbid, to prohibit

Answer key

  1. c) prohíbe — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: prohíbe.

  2. a) prohibió — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite: prohibió.

  3. b) prohibió — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite: prohibió.

  4. c) prohíbo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: prohíbo.

  5. b) prohíbo — The present tense form for yo is prohíbo.

  6. d) prohíbes — The present tense form for tú is prohíbes.

  7. c) prohíben — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is prohíben.

  8. b) Nosotros prohibimos las bebidas en la biblioteca. — Nosotros prohibimos las bebidas en la biblioteca. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. b) prohibido — The past participle is prohibido. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he prohibido, has prohibido, ha prohibido.

  10. d) to forbid, to prohibit — prohibir means "to forbid, to prohibit".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use prohibir in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as prohibir fumar and prohibir la entrada. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between prohibir and permitir?

prohibir means "to forbid, to prohibit", while permitir means "to allow". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use prohibir when you mean "to forbid, to prohibit" and permitir when you mean "to allow".

Which tense do I need most with prohibir?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use prohibir most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is prohibir formal or informal?

prohibir is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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