impidió

Impidió is the third-person singular preterite form of the Spanish verb impedir, meaning “he/she/it prevented.” It is used in narrative or reported speech to indicate a completed action in the past that prevented an event or outcome. The related present tense is impide, and the past participle is impedido.

Etymology and forms: Impedir comes from Latin impedire, formed with the prefix in- and a root related to hindrance or fetter, with the noun impedimentum in its historical lineage. In modern Spanish, impedir is a stem-changing verb in certain forms, and the preterite forms include impedí, impediste, impidió, impedimos, impedisteis, impidieron. The form impidió specifically marks the third-person singular past tense.

Usage: Impidió is commonly used to describe actions that stopped plans, movements, or developments. It often appears with que clauses that trigger the subjunctive, e.g., impidió que llegara a tiempo. In many sentences, the subject of impidió is the agent whose action caused the hindrance, while the object is the event or action that did not occur or was delayed.

Examples:

- La lluvia impidió la celebración.

- El nuevo protocolo impidió que se presentara la propuesta.

- Su intervención impidió que ocurriera un conflicto mayor.

See also: impedir (the infinitive form), impedimento (hindrance or obstacle), and related terms that describe hindrance or obstruction.