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How to Say "to avoid" in Spanish

English → Spanish

evitar

eh-vee-TAR/eβiˈtaɾ/

verbB1general
Use 'evitar' when you want to keep away from people, things, or specific situations, often to prevent inconvenience or harm.
A cartoon figure is walking along a path and takes a wide detour to bypass a large, bright red, thorny bush that is blocking the straight route.

Examples

Ella siempre intenta evitar el tráfico de la mañana.

She always tries to avoid the morning traffic.

Debemos evitar comer demasiada comida rápida.

We should avoid eating too much fast food.

El doctor nos dijo que evitáramos el estrés para estar saludables.

The doctor told us to prevent stress in order to be healthy.

Evitar + Infinitive

When you avoid doing an action, 'evitar' is always followed immediately by the base form of the second verb (the infinitive), without any prepositions like 'de' or 'a'. Example: 'Evito hablar' (I avoid talking).

Incorrect use of 'de'

Mistake: “Evitamos de ir al centro.”

Correction: Evitamos ir al centro. ('Evitar' does not need 'de' before the next verb.)

prevenir

/pre-beh-NEER//pɾeβeˈniɾ/

verbB1general
Use 'prevenir' when you are taking proactive steps or measures to stop a problem, illness, or negative outcome from happening.
A person placing a sturdy wooden gate at the top of a staircase to keep a toddler safe.

Examples

Lavarse las manos ayuda a prevenir enfermedades.

Washing your hands helps to prevent illnesses.

Es mejor prevenir que lamentar.

It is better to be safe than sorry (literally: better to prevent than to regret).

Think of 'Venir'

This word changes its spelling exactly like the word 'venir' (to come). If you know how to say 'vengo' (I come), you just add 'pre-' to get 'prevengo'.

The Past Tense Trap

Mistake: “yo prevení”

Correction: yo previne (it follows the irregular 'venir' pattern in the past).

huir

/oo-EER//wˈiɾ/

verbB2general
Use 'huir' when someone is actively escaping from or running away from something, especially abstract concepts like responsibilities or difficult situations.
A person is tiptoeing carefully sideways, keeping their body turned away from a large, imposing closed wooden door, deliberately avoiding interaction with what is inside.

Examples

Ella siempre huye de las responsabilidades difíciles.

She always avoids difficult responsibilities.

El famoso actor huye de la fama y la prensa.

The famous actor shuns fame and the press.

No puedes huir de tus problemas para siempre.

You can't run away from your problems forever.

Figurative Use

Even when used figuratively (avoiding abstract things), 'huir' still uses the preposition 'de' to indicate what is being avoided: 'huir de la verdad' (to avoid the truth).

Avoiding vs. Preventing

Learners often confuse 'evitar' and 'prevenir'. Remember that 'evitar' is about staying away from something that might happen or is present, while 'prevenir' is about taking action beforehand to stop something from happening at all.

Related Translations

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