prevengono

Prevengono is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb prevenire, meaning “they prevent” or “they ward off.” It is used when the subject is a plural group and the action described is preventing something undesirable. The verb prevenire is transitive and often appears with direct objects or with clauses describing potential risks.

Etymology and grammar: Prevenire comes from Latin praevenire, from prae- “before” + venire “to come.” In modern Italian, prevenire is an irregular -ire verb with a characteristic spelling to preserve the hard g before e: io prevengo, tu previeni, lui/lei previene, noi preveniamo, voi prevenete, loro prevengono. The form prevengono specifically shows the stem change and the -ono ending in the third-person plural. Grammatically, prevengono is used with a subject that acts to avert something, and can be followed by direct objects (danni, malattie) or by clauses describing the outcome being averted.

Usage and nuances: Prevengono is commonly found in contexts related to health, safety, law, and policy. For example, Le misure adottate prevengono incidenti sul lavoro (The measures adopted prevent workplace accidents). La vaccinazione previene malattie gravi (Vaccination prevents serious diseases). The verb emphasizes proactive action taken to avert a future problem, rather than reacting after it occurs. It is often contrasted with verbi come evitare, impedire o ostacolare, which can convey similar but slightly different nuances.

See also: prevenire, prevenzione, prevenire le crisi. Related terms include evitare e impedire, used in contexts of risk management and public health.