as a precaution
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as a precaution
Out of caution; in order to be prepared for possible problems or difficulties, even if they are unlikely.
Obwohl gutes Wetter gemeldet ist, nehme ich vorsichtshalber einen Regenschirm mit.
Although good weather is forecast, I'm taking an umbrella with me as a precaution.
The word is made up of 'Vorsicht' (caution) and the old suffix '-halber', which means 'because of' or 'for the sake of'. Literally, it means 'for the sake of caution'.
Ich habe vorsichtshalber eine zweite Batterie für die Kamera eingepackt.
I packed a second battery for the camera as a precaution.
'Vorsichtshalber' (as a precaution) can stand at the beginning of the sentence in position 1; then the verb follows in position 2. It can also stand in the middle of the sentence, usually after the conjugated verb.
Vorsichtshalber habe ich die Tür abgeschlossen.
As a precaution, I locked the door.
You use 'vorsichtshalber' (as a precaution) to describe an action that you do 'just in case' or 'to be on the safe side'. It expresses that you want to be prepared for a possible, but not necessarily expected, problem.
Speichere deine Arbeit vorsichtshalber regelmäßig, damit nichts verloren geht.
Save your work regularly as a precaution so that nothing gets lost.
if necessary
'notfalls' and 'vorsichtshalber' both refer to possible problems, but they describe different points in time and different reasons. 'notfalls' is used when something is done only if it is really necessary or if no better solution remains. 'vorsichtshalber' is used when you do something in advance to be safe or prepared. Learners can confuse the words because both have to do with uncertainty. The difference is: 'notfalls' is the last resort if a problem occurs; 'vorsichtshalber' is a measure taken before the problem.
Nach der Arbeit habe ich vorsichtshalber einen Regenschirm eingepackt.
After work, I packed an umbrella as a precaution.
Wenn der letzte Bus weg ist, nehmen wir notfalls ein Taxi nach Hause.
If the last bus has gone, we'll take a taxi home if necessary.