Forbidden vs Illegal vs It's against the law

Cuándo usar cada una en inglés, con significado, registro y ejemplos.

Forbidden

FormalTop 3000 (común)

Illegal

FormalTop 2000 (común)B1adjective

It's against the law

FormalTop 5000 (bastante común)
Más común: Illegal
 ForbiddenIllegalIt's against the law
Pronunciación🇬🇧 //fəˈbɪd.ən//🇺🇸 //fərˈbɪd.ən//🇬🇧 //ɪˈliːɡ(ə)l//🇺🇸 //ɪˈlɪɡəl//🇬🇧 //ɪts əˈɡeɪnst ðə lɔː//🇺🇸 //ɪts əˈɡeɪnst ðə lɔ//
SignificadoNot allowed or banned.Not allowed by law.It is illegal.
EjemploThe secret room was strictly forbidden to anyone except the owner.Driving without a license is considered illegal.Driving without a license is really {{highlight}}against the law{{highlight}}.
RegistroFormalFormalFormal
Qué tan comúnTop 3000 (común)Top 2000 (común)Top 5000 (bastante común)
Nivel CEFR-B1-
Categoría gramaticaladjective
Colocacionesforbidden zone, forbidden love, forbidden activities, forbidden fruit, forbidden cityillegal activity, illegal immigration, illegal drugs, illegal parkingagainst the rules, against the regulations, against public policy
Antónimosallowed, permitted, legallegal, permissible, lawfulit's legal, it's allowed
Errores comunesConfused with 'prohibited' - both mean similar things, but 'forbidden' is less formal., Incorrectly used as a verb - 'forbidden' is strictly an adjective., Using 'forbidden' in positive contexts - it always suggests something disallowed.Confused with 'unlawful', which can have a broader meaning., Using 'illegal' to describe moral wrongs instead of legal ones., Misusing as a noun instead of an adjective, e.g., saying 'the illegal is punishable' instead of 'the act is illegal'.Confusing with 'it's legal' meaning allowed., Using with informal language., Misusing in non-legal contexts.
Notas de usoUsed to describe something that is legally or socially unacceptable. Avoid using in casual conversations.Use 'illegal' in formal contexts, especially legal discussions, but also in general conversation. It's not appropriate for casual slang.Use this phrase in legal contexts or when discussing rules. It's formal and not suited for casual conversations.

Míralo en clips reales

Forbidden
Illegal
It's against the law

Preguntas frecuentes: Forbidden vs Illegal vs It's against the law

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre Forbidden, Illegal e It's against the law?

Forbidden: Not allowed or banned. Illegal: Not allowed by law. It's against the law: It is illegal.

¿Cuál es más común: Forbidden, Illegal e It's against the law?

Illegal es la más común en el inglés cotidiano.

¿Puedes mostrar un ejemplo de cada una?

Forbidden: The secret room was strictly forbidden to anyone except the owner. Illegal: Driving without a license is considered illegal. It's against the law: Driving without a license is really {{highlight}}against the law{{highlight}}.

¿Puedo usar Forbidden, Illegal e It's against the law indistintamente?

No siempre. Forbidden, Illegal e It's against the law están relacionadas y a veces se solapan, pero difieren en registro, frecuencia y uso, así que cambiar una por otra puede alterar el significado o el tono. Revisa las diferencias de arriba antes de sustituir.