prevenire
/pre.veˈni.re/
To prevent in Italian is expressed as prevenire. Wiktionary also lists impedire.
Meaning: to keep from happening (verb)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| prevenire | /pre.veˈni.re/ |
| impedire | /im.peˈdi.re/ |
The verb is used to mean keeping something from happening. It is commonly used in the context of medical or social issues, such as prevenire le malattie (preventing diseases).
Which one should you use?
While both words can be translated as prevent, they have different nuances. Use prevenire when the focus is on taking action beforehand to forestall something. Use impedire when the focus is on physically or legally obstructing an action or a person from doing something, such as hindering or blocking.
How does it change in a sentence?
prevenire is a regular second-conjugation verb ending in -ire.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of prevenire is /pre.veˈni.re/. It has four syllables, with the stress on the third syllable.
Did you know?
- While prevenire means to prevent, the Italian word prevenire can also be used in a formal context to mean 'to inform someone in advance'.
- The word impedire comes from the Latin impedīre, which literally meant 'to shackle the feet'.
- The word impedire is closely related to the English word 'impede', but in Italian, it is a much more common, everyday verb for stopping someone from doing something.
Examples in context
- Karl lo voleva impedire.Karl wanted to prevent that.This sentence shows how to use impedire to express wanting to prevent an action.Tatoeba #13946234 by unforgiven95, translation #11638867 by Amastan
- Come possiamo prevenire questo?How can we prevent this?This sentence shows how to use prevenire to ask how to prevent something.Tatoeba #8645300 by Guybrush88, translation #8619460 by ajje
- Dobbiamo prevenire la guerra ad ogni costo.We must prevent war at any cost.This sentence shows how to use prevenire in the context of preventing war.Tatoeba #398133 by Pharamp, translation #24907 by CK
- Dobbiamo prevenire danni futuriWe must prevent future damage
- Evitiamo problemiLet's prevent problems
- Evita l'incidentePrevent the accident
- Non voglio impedirti di vivere la tua vitaI don't want to prevent you from living your life
- Previene malattiePrevents diseases
- Voglio evitare erroriI want to prevent mistakes
- Impedisci un conflittoPrevent a conflict
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are discussing safety protocols at work.
- ChiaraFrancesco, come possiamo prevenire l'usura dei macchinari?Francesco, how can we prevent the wear and tear of the machinery?
- FrancescoDobbiamo fare una manutenzione più regolare.We need to do more regular maintenance.
- ChiaraHai ragione, la sicurezza è fondamentale.You are right, safety is fundamental.
- FrancescoSì, per evitare problemi in futuro.Yes, to avoid problems in the future.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “prevent” translations and entries prevenire, impedire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries impedire, prevenire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
