prevenir

See also: prévenir

Catalan

Alternative forms

• previndre

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin praevenīre (“anticipate”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [pɾə.βəˈni]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [pɾə.vəˈni]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [pɾe.veˈniɾ]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Verb

prevenir (first-person singular present previnc, first-person singular preterite previnguí, past participle previngut); root stress: (Central, Valencia, Balearic) /e/

1. to warn
2. to anticipate
3. to prevent

Conjugation

    Conjugation of prevenir (third conjugation, without -eix-, irregular, with velar infix)

infinitive			prevenir
gerund			prevenint
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		previngut		previnguda
		plural		previnguts		previngudes
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	previnc	prevens	prevé	prevenim	preveniu	prevenen
	imperfect	prevenia	prevenies	prevenia	preveníem	preveníeu	prevenien
	future	previndré	previndràs	previndrà	previndrem	previndreu	previndran
	preterite	previnguí	previngueres	previngué	previnguérem	previnguéreu	previngueren
	conditional	previndria	previndries	previndria	previndríem	previndríeu	previndrien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	previngui	previnguis	previngui	previnguem	previngueu	previnguin
	imperfect	previngués	previnguessis	previngués	previnguéssim	previnguéssiu	previnguessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	prevén	previngui	previnguem	preveniu	previnguin
	negative (no)	—	no previnguis	no previngui	no previnguem	no previngueu	no previnguin

Related terms

• prevenció
• prevenent
• preventiu
• venir

Further reading

• “prevenir”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “prevenir”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “prevenir” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “prevenir” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Occitan

Alternative forms

• previéner (Gascony)
• prevénguer (Gascony)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin praeveniō (“anticipate”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Languedoc):

  (file)

Verb

prevenir

1. to warn
2. to forestall, to prevent

Related terms

• prevencion
• preventiu
• prevenéncia

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin praeveniō (“anticipate”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pɾe.veˈni(ʁ)/ [pɾe.veˈni(h)], /pɾe.viˈni(ʁ)/ [pɾe.viˈni(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pɾe.veˈni(ʁ)/ [pɾe.veˈni(h)], /pɾe.viˈni(ʁ)/ [pɾe.viˈni(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /pɾe.veˈni(ɾ)/, /pɾe.viˈni(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /pɾe.veˈni(ʁ)/ [pɾe.veˈni(χ)], /pɾe.viˈni(ʁ)/ [pɾe.viˈni(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /pɾe.veˈni(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɾɨ.vɨˈniɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɾɨ.vɨˈniɾ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɾɨ.bɨˈniɾ/ [pɾɨ.βɨˈniɾ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɾɨ.vɨˈni.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: pre‧ve‧nir

Verb

prevenir (first-person singular present previno, third-person singular present previne, first-person singular preterite preveni, past participle prevenido)

1. to prevent

   Synonym: evitar

2. to warn

   Synonym: avisar

3. to prepare

   Synonym: preparar

Conjugation

    Conjugation of prevenir (e becomes i when stressed) (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	prevenir
Personal	prevenir	prevenires	prevenir	prevenirmos	prevenirdes	prevenirem
Gerund
	prevenindo
Past participle
Masculine	prevenido			prevenidos
Feminine	prevenida			prevenidas
Indicative
Present	previno	prevines	previne	prevenimos	prevenis	previnem
Imperfect	prevenia	prevenias	prevenia	preveníamos	preveníeis	preveniam
Preterite	preveni	preveniste	preveniu	prevenimos	prevenistes	preveniram
Pluperfect	prevenira	preveniras	prevenira	preveníramos	preveníreis	preveniram
Future	prevenirei	prevenirás	prevenirá	preveniremos	prevenireis	prevenirão
Conditional	preveniria	prevenirias	preveniria	preveniríamos	preveniríeis	preveniriam
Subjunctive
Present	previna	previnas	previna	previnamos	previnais	previnam
Imperfect	prevenisse	prevenisses	prevenisse	preveníssemos	prevenísseis	prevenissem
Future	prevenir	prevenires	prevenir	prevenirmos	prevenirdes	prevenirem
Imperative
Affirmative		previne	previna	previnamos	preveni	previnam
Negative (não)		não previnas	não previna	não previnamos	não previnais	não previnam

Related terms

• prevenção
• vir

Spanish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin praeveniō (“anticipate”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɾebeˈniɾ/ [pɾe.β̞eˈniɾ]
• Rhymes: -iɾ
• Syllabification: pre‧ve‧nir

Verb

prevenir (first-person singular present prevengo, first-person singular preterite previne, past participle prevenido)

1. to prevent, to forestall, to preempt, to ward off, to stave off
   • 2023 August 22, Jamie Gumbrecht, “La FDA aprueba la primera vacuna para proteger a los recién nacidos del virus respiratorio sincitial”, in CNN en Español‎^[1]:

     Seis meses después del nacimiento, la vacuna tenía una eficacia del 69% para prevenir la enfermedad grave por RSV y del 51% para prevenir una visita al médico por problemas respiratorios relacionados con el RSV.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. to avert (e.g. a disease, an accident, a disaster, danger)
3. to forewarn, warn
4. to anticipate
5. (Mexico) to prepare

Conjugation

    Conjugation of prevenir (irregular; e-ie-i alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			prevenir
gerund			previniendo
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		prevenido		prevenida
		plural		prevenidos		prevenidas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	prevengo	previenestú prevenísvos	previene	prevenimos	prevenís	previenen
	imperfect	prevenía	prevenías	prevenía	preveníamos	preveníais	prevenían
	preterite	previne	previniste	previno	previnimos	previnisteis	previnieron
	future	prevendré	prevendrás	prevendrá	prevendremos	prevendréis	prevendrán
	conditional	prevendría	prevendrías	prevendría	prevendríamos	prevendríais	prevendrían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	prevenga	prevengastú prevengásvos2	prevenga	prevengamos	prevengáis	prevengan
	imperfect (ra)	previniera	previnieras	previniera	previniéramos	previnierais	previnieran
	imperfect (se)	previniese	previnieses	previniese	previniésemos	previnieseis	previniesen
	future1	previniere	previnieres	previniere	previniéremos	previniereis	previnieren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		prevéntú prevenívos	prevenga	prevengamos	prevenid	prevengan
	negative		no prevengas	no prevenga	no prevengamos	no prevengáis	no prevengan

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of prevenir (irregular; e-ie-i alternation)

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive prevenir	dative	prevenirme	prevenirte	prevenirle, prevenirse	prevenirnos	preveniros	prevenirles, prevenirse
	accusative	prevenirme	prevenirte	prevenirlo, prevenirla, prevenirse	prevenirnos	preveniros	prevenirlos, prevenirlas, prevenirse
with gerund previniendo	dative	previniéndome	previniéndote	previniéndole, previniéndose	previniéndonos	previniéndoos	previniéndoles, previniéndose
	accusative	previniéndome	previniéndote	previniéndolo, previniéndola, previniéndose	previniéndonos	previniéndoos	previniéndolos, previniéndolas, previniéndose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative prevén	dative	prevenme	prevente	prevenle	prevennos	not used	prevenles
	accusative	prevenme	prevente	prevenlo, prevenla	prevennos	not used	prevenlos, prevenlas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative prevení	dative	prevenime	prevenite	prevenile	preveninos	not used	preveniles
	accusative	prevenime	prevenite	prevenilo, prevenila	preveninos	not used	prevenilos, prevenilas
with formal second-person singular imperative prevenga	dative	prevéngame	not used	prevéngale, prevéngase	prevénganos	not used	prevéngales
	accusative	prevéngame	not used	prevéngalo, prevéngala, prevéngase	prevénganos	not used	prevéngalos, prevéngalas
with first-person plural imperative prevengamos	dative	not used	prevengámoste	prevengámosle	prevengámonos	prevengámoos	prevengámosles
	accusative	not used	prevengámoste	prevengámoslo, prevengámosla	prevengámonos	prevengámoos	prevengámoslos, prevengámoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative prevenid	dative	prevenidme	not used	prevenidle	prevenidnos	preveníos	prevenidles
	accusative	prevenidme	not used	prevenidlo, prevenidla	prevenidnos	preveníos	prevenidlos, prevenidlas
with formal second-person plural imperative prevengan	dative	prevénganme	not used	prevénganle	prevéngannos	not used	prevénganles, prevénganse
	accusative	prevénganme	not used	prevénganlo, prevénganla	prevéngannos	not used	prevénganlos, prevénganlas, prevénganse

Derived terms

• hombre prevenido vale por dos
• más vale prevenir que curar
• prevenible

Related terms

• prevención
• preventivo
• venir

Further reading

• “prevenir”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024