illegal
Violating a law; prohibited by law or unlawful.
EXAMPLE
Das Herunterladen von urheberrechtlich geschützten Filmen ist illegal.
Downloading copyrighted films is illegal.
illegal
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The word consists of the prefix 'il-' and the adjective 'legal' (legal). The prefix 'il-' is a form of the negative prefix 'in-' and is used before words that begin with 'l'. So 'illegal' literally means 'not legal'.
EXAMPLE
Es ist illegal, ohne Lizenz ein Restaurant zu betreiben.
It is illegal to run a restaurant without a license.
Use as an adverb
'Illegal' can also be used as an adverb to describe how an action is carried out. It then answers the question 'How?'.
EXAMPLE
Er hat die Software illegal heruntergeladen.
He downloaded the software illegally.
Typical collocations
The word is often used in connection with law and crime. Typical combinations are 'illegale Drogen' (illegal drugs), 'ein illegaler Aufenthalt' (an illegal stay), 'illegale Aktivitäten' (illegal activities), or 'etwas für illegal erklären' (to declare something illegal).
EXAMPLE
Der Besitz bestimmter Waffen ist in diesem Land illegal.
Possession of certain weapons is illegal in this country.
Compare with
illegal vs schwarz
black
Schwarz and illegal can describe unregistered work or other forbidden actions. Schwarz is a colloquial, established term for this, while illegal generally emphasizes a violation of the law. Use schwarz in typical expressions such as Schwarzarbeit and illegal for the general legal assessment.
illegal
Die Polizei stellte fest, dass der Verkauf illegal war.
The police determined that the sale was illegal.
schwarz
Der Handwerker arbeitete schwarz und meldete den Auftrag nicht an.
The contractor worked off the books and did not register the job.
In real life
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