Impidiendo

Impidiendo is the gerund form of the Spanish verb impedir, which means to prevent, hinder, or impede. As a nonfinite verb form, impidiendo describes an ongoing action that hinders something and is commonly used to link actions or describe what is happening at the moment.

Etymology and related forms: Impedir comes from Latin impedire, meaning to hinder. The related noun impedimento denotes a hindrance or obstacle. In other Romance languages there are cognates such as impedire (Italian) and empêcher/empêcher (French), all sharing the core sense of hindrance or prevention.

Grammar and usage: Impidiendo functions as a gerund (gerundio) and is typically used with a form of estar or seguir to indicate an action in progress, for example, La lluvia está impidiendo la celebración (The rain is preventing the celebration). It can also introduce a subordinate clause with the subjunctive to express hindrance of an action, as in La política está impidiendo que se celebren elecciones libres (Policy is preventing free elections from taking place). In news, legal, and formal writing, impidiendo often appears in phrases such as “impidiendo que…” to specify what is being hindered.

Examples:

- La lluvia está impidiendo la celebración de la fiesta.

- El gobierno está impidiendo que se expresen todas las voces.

- Se está impidiendo que lleguen los suministros a tiempo.

Notes: Impidiendo conveys ongoing hindrance and should not be confused with impedido, the past participle meaning “hindered” or the adjective “disabled” in some contexts. It is a common and neutral term across Spanish-speaking regiones for describing actions that block or delay another action.