Forbyder

Forbyder is the present tense form of the Danish verb forbyde, meaning to prohibit or forbid. It is used to express that something is not allowed and can be applied by authorities, institutions, or individuals with the authority to set rules. The word is transitive and takes a direct object describing what is prohibited, for example: "Skolen forbyder mobiltelefoner i undervisningen" (The school prohibits mobile phones in teaching).

Conjugation and forms: the present tense is forbyder; the past tense is forbød; the supine (used in perfect and other compound tenses) is forbudt, and the past participle is also forbudt. The perfect tense is formed with har: "har forbudt." The imperative form is forbyd. The verb is often used in formal or official contexts, but also appears in everyday speech when someone with authority sets a rule.

Etymology and cognates: forbyder comes from the prefix for- attached to the verb byde (to bid or command). This formation is common in Danish and has cognates in other Scandinavian languages, such as Swedish förbjuda and Norwegian forbyde, reflecting shared Germanic roots.

Usage notes: Danish typically requires the preposition "at" before the embedded infinitive when expressing the prohibition (e.g., "forbyde at ryge" = prohibit smoking). The noun form related to the concept is forbud (prohibition), and an adjective form is forbudt (prohibited).

See also: forbud, forbudt, forbudt område (prohibited area).