How to Say "to ban" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to ban” is “prohibir” — use 'prohibir' when you want to express that something is officially forbidden, often by law or regulation, like stopping the use or sale of an item..
prohibir
/pro-ee-BEER//pɾoiˈβiɾ/
Examples
Se prohibió la entrada de mascotas al parque.
Pets were banned from the park.
Está prohibido fumar en el hospital.
Smoking is forbidden in the hospital.
Mis padres me prohíben salir hasta tarde.
My parents forbid me from going out late.
La ley prohíbe la venta de alcohol a menores.
The law prohibits the sale of alcohol to minors.
The Accent Mark Rule
When you say 'I forbid' (prohíbo) or 'you forbid' (prohíbes), the 'i' gets an accent mark. This tells you to pronounce the 'i' clearly as 'EE' so it doesn't blend into the 'o' or 'e'.
Using 'Que' for Commands
If you are forbidding someone from doing something with a full sentence, use 'que' followed by the 'special wish form' (subjunctive). For example: 'Te prohíbo que vayas' (I forbid you to go).
The 'From' Trap
Mistake: “Me prohíbe de ir.”
Correction: Me prohíbe ir (or 'Me prohíbe que vaya'). Spanish doesn't need the word 'de' (from) after forbid like English often does.
bloquear
/blo-keh-ahr//blo.keˈaɾ/
Examples
El gobierno bloqueó el acceso a ese sitio web.
The government banned access to that website.
Un camión está bloqueando la calle principal.
A truck is blocking the main street.
Voy a bloquear a mi ex en Instagram.
I'm going to block my ex on Instagram.
Las nubes bloquean la luz del sol.
The clouds block the sunlight.
The 'Yo' Spelling Change
In the Past (Preterite), the 'yo' form changes its spelling to 'bloqueé' to keep the hard 'K' sound. This happens with most verbs ending in -ar.
Using it Digitally
When talking about apps, you can use it just like in English: 'Lo bloqueé' (I blocked him).
Misspelling the 'yo' form
Mistake: “yo bloquee (for past tense)”
Correction: yo bloqueé (the accent mark indicates it happened in the past).
Blocking vs. Prohibiting
Related Translations
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