Prévoient

Prévoient is the third-person plural present indicative form of the French verb prévoir, meaning to foresee, anticipate, or plan for. It is used to describe what a group or multiple subjects is predicting or arranging in the present. The verb can take a direct object (ils prévoient qqch) or be followed by an infinitive to express an intended action (ils prévoient de faire qqch). The full present tense paradigm is: je prévois, tu prévois, il prévoit, nous prévoyons, vous prévoyez, ils prévoient.

Etymology and meaning: prévoir comes from Old French prevoyr, which in turn derives from Latin praevidere, “to foresee.” The sense encompasses both forecasting events (weather, trends) and planning actions (budgets, projects).

Usage notes: Prévoir is common in both formal and informal contexts. It can refer to forecasting for practical purposes, such as weather or market trends, and to deliberate planning, such as schedules or investments. The related noun is prévision (forecast or projection), while prévisible means foreseeable or predictable, and prévu means planned or anticipated as an adjective or past participle.

Examples: Ils prévoient des conditions météorologiques défavorables pour la semaine prochaine. Ils prévoient de partir en vacances cet été. Cette entreprise prévoit une croissance modeste mais soutenue.

See also: prévision, prévisible, prévu. These terms share the same semantic field of anticipation and planning, often used in economic, meteorological, or organizational contexts.