verhindert

Verhindern is a German verb meaning to prevent something from happening or to hinder its occurrence. The form bezeichnet as "verhindert" is the third person singular present tense (er verhindert) and also the past participle used with haben to form the perfect tense (er hat verhindert). As a noun, the related forms das Verhindern or die Verhinderung denote the act or process of preventing, i.e., prevention.

The verb is built from the stem hindern with the prefix ver-, a common inseparable prefix in German that alters the sense toward bringing about a change of state, here to stop something from occurring. Verhindern is widely used across contexts such as safety, policy, medicine, engineering and everyday language. Examples include Maßnahmen, die Unfälle verhindern (measures that prevent accidents), or technische Vorkehrungen, die Ausfälle verhindern (technical safeguards that prevent failures).

Grammatical forms (selected): Präsens — ich verhindere, du verhinderst, er verhindert, wir verhindern, ihr verhindert, sie/Sie verhindern. Präteritum — verhinderte. Perfekt — hat verhindert. Partizip I — verhindernd. Partizip II — verhindert.

Nuance and related terms: Verhindern is close in meaning to vermeiden (to avoid) but emphasizes an active intervention to stop something from happening, often through concrete actions or safeguards. Verhinderung or das Verhindern denotes the broader concept or act of prevention.