What does “нельзя” mean in Russian?

Можно means “it’s allowed / one may,” and its opposite is нельзя, “it’s not allowed” or “it’s impossible.” Neither needs a subject or a verb ending: здесь нельзя курить, “no smoking here,” можно войти?, “may I come in?” You’ll see нельзя on signs and hear it from every Russian parent, often on its own: нельзя!

Add a dative to make it personal: мне нельзя сладкое, “I’m not allowed sweets.” With a perfective verb нельзя tends to mean “impossible”: этого нельзя понять, “this can’t be understood.” The clip asks что можно делать в России, а что нельзя?, and on greetings the speaker’s own answer is that men in Russia usually don’t kiss when they meet, though women sometimes do.