Home › Civic exam questions › Article 4 of the 1789 Declaration says: "Liberty is being…
Article 4 of the 1789 Declaration says: "Liberty is being able to do anything that does not harm others" (autrui). What does this mean?
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
Correct answer: You are free as long as you do not harm others. My freedom stops where the rights of others begin. Our rights and freedoms are limited by the rights of others. Autrui means other people. Source: the Ministry of the Interior sheet “La limite des libertés individuelles” (in French).
Sources: Sheet “La limite des libertés individuelles” (French), read on 21 October 2026. Answer written by Hexaciv from this source. Hexaciv is an independent preparation tool. It is not an official website, is not linked to any government body and does not give legal advice. The authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.
The four choices and why
- ✓ You are free as long as you do not harm othersOn est libre tant qu'on ne gêne pas les droits des autresCorrect answer. My freedom stops where the rights of others begin. Our rights and freedoms are limited by the rights of others. Autrui means other people.
- ✗ You can do anything you want, with no limitOn peut faire tout ce qu'on veut, sans limiteLiberty has a limit: the rights of others.
- ✗ Only the State has the right to be freeSeul l'État a le droit d'être libreThat is not the right answer: the sheet says our freedoms are limited by the rights of others.
- ✗ Only French citizens are freeSeuls les citoyens français sont libresThat is not the right answer: the sheet says our freedoms are limited by the rights of others.
What the source says
« Nos droits et libertés individuels sont limités par les droits des autres »
Sentence copied word for word from the source, in French, read on 21 October 2026.
How it reads on exam day
The exam is in French, so this is the question you will see: « L'article 4 de la Déclaration de 1789 dit : « La liberté consiste à pouvoir faire tout ce qui ne nuit pas à autrui ». Que veut dire cette phrase ? ». Learn the English idea above and the French words in the options.
This question comes from the list of the naturalisation version of the exam (PDF relayed by Le Français des affaires, read on 14 October 2026; the Ministry's own page for this list did not answer). The list's wording: “L'article 4 de la Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen affirme que "la liberté consiste à pouvoir faire tout ce qui ne nuit pas à autrui". Qu'est-ce que cela signifie ?”.
Where the Ministry explains it
Sheet “La limite des libertés individuelles” (French).
One question corrected is a start. Now see where you stand: 40 timed questions, corrected in English, French or Arabic.
Our rule of thumb: book only after 34 out of 40 on two mock exams. The official pass mark is 32 out of 40. A fail means registering and paying again.
Take the free mock exam (40 questions)