to prevent
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to prevent
To make sure that something planned, expected, or feared does not happen.
Durch schnelles Handeln konnte die Feuerwehr eine Katastrophe verhindern.
By acting quickly, the fire department was able to prevent a catastrophe.
to prevent
To prevent someone from doing something through external circumstances or active intervention.
Ein plötzlicher Terminkonflikt verhinderte seine Teilnahme an der Konferenz.
A sudden scheduling conflict prevented his participation in the conference.
'Verhindern' (to prevent) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' remains firmly attached to the stem 'hindern' in all tenses and sentence types.
Ein Anruf hat verhindert, dass ich pünktlich war.
A phone call prevented me from being on time.
After 'verhindern' (to prevent), either a noun in the accusative or a subordinate clause with 'dass' (that) is used. Both structures are very common for expressing what should not happen.
Die Polizei verhinderte eine Eskalation.
The police prevented an escalation.
'Verhindern' (to prevent) is often used in contexts where something negative is averted. Typical combinations are 'das Schlimmste verhindern' (to prevent the worst), 'einen Unfall verhindern' (to prevent an accident), or 'ein Verbrechen verhindern' (to prevent a crime).
Der schnelle Einsatz der Ärzte konnte das Schlimmste verhindern.
The doctors' quick response was able to prevent the worst.
to avoid
Both words refer to something undesirable that should not happen. Verhindern emphasizes actively making sure that the event does not happen, while vermeiden means consciously choosing not to take a problematic action or enter a problematic situation. When the focus is on the event, verhindern is usually used; when the focus is on avoiding something oneself, use vermeiden.
Die Lehrerin prüft die Aufgabe noch einmal, um einen Fehler zu verhindern.
The teacher checked the assignment again to prevent a mistake.
Wir lesen die Anleitung sorgfältig, um einen Fehler zu vermeiden.
We read the instructions carefully to avoid a mistake.
