impedir

Impedir is a Spanish verb that means to hinder, prevent, or obstruct something from happening or continuing. It is transitive and commonly used with a direct object or with a clause introduced by que and the subjunctive, as in “La lluvia impidió el partido” or “El comité busca impedir que se repitan los hechos.” It can also govern a person with the structure impedir a alguien que + subjunctive, e.g., “La seguridad impide a los visitantes que entren sin permiso.”

Conjugation and forms: impediments to stem changes occur in the present tense, where the verb is a boot verb: impido, impides, impide, impedimos, impedís, impiden. The preterite is impedí, impediste, impidió, impedimos, impedisteis, impidieron. The present subjunctive forms are impida, impidas, impida, impidamos, impidáis, impidan. The participle is impedido and the gerund is impidiendo. This pattern places impedido among regular -ir verbs with a vowel change in the present tense.

Etymology and related terms: impedire derives from Latin impedire, from impedimentum meaning hindrance. The word gathers the sense of creating an obstacle, a barrier, or a preventive measure that stops an action or process.

Usage notes: impedirse implica impedir una acción o evento, a veces por medidas administrativas, físicas o legales. It is distinct from evitar (to avoid or evade) and bloquear (to physically block a passage or system). In legal, policy, or safety contexts, impedir is common when describing efforts to stop abuses, violations, or recurrence of incidents. Examples: “Las restricciones impiden la entrada,” “Las reglas impiden que se repitan los errores.”