empêcher

Empêcher is a French verb meaning to prevent or to hinder someone or something from doing something or from occurring. It is a transitive verb, typically used with a direct object representing the person or thing being blocked, and with a construction such as empêcher quelqu’un de faire quelque chose (to prevent someone from doing something). It can also introduce a subordinate clause with que in the subjunctive, as in Il faut qu’il n’empêche pas le processus from progressing. A reflexive form, s’empêcher de faire quelque chose, means to restrain oneself from doing something.

Etymology and meaning nuances: empêche is derived from Old French empecher, which itself comes from a Latin root impedire meaning to hinder. The modern form reflects phonetic and orthographic changes in the history of French. The word emphasizes stopping a plan or action from taking place, rather than simply delaying it.

Usage notes: In everyday French, the most common pattern is an object plus de + infinitive: empêcher quelqu’un de faire qqch. The verb can also occur with a subordinate clause in the subjunctive: empêcher que qqch se passe, though the de + infinitive construction is more frequent in contemporary usage. The noun empêchement, meaning an obstacle or hindrance, is related and used in phrases like un empêchement qui empêche un déplacement.

Conjugation (selected forms): present tense — j’empêche, tu empêches, il empêche, nous empêchons, vous empêchez, ils empêchent; passé composé — j’ai empêché; imperfect — empêchais, empêchais, empêchait, empêchions, empêchiez, empêchaient. The past participle is empêché.

Related terms include empêcherment in the sense of hindrance, and synonyms such as prévenir, bloquer or entraver, depending on nuance.