zapobiegam

Zapobiegam is the first-person singular present tense form of the Polish imperfective verb zapobiegać, meaning to prevent or avert something from happening. It describes an ongoing or habitual action aimed at avoiding negative outcomes. The verb is commonly used in health, safety, and risk-management contexts, as well as in everyday language.

In usage, zapobiegać is typically followed by a noun phrase in the dative case to indicate what is being prevented. Examples include zapobiegam chorobom (I prevent diseases) and zapobiegam powikłaniom (I prevent complications). The expression can also appear with broader preventive measures, such as hygiene, vaccination, or policy actions, e.g., stosuję środki zapobiegawcze, aby zapobiegać chorobom.

Conjugation and aspect: In the present tense, the forms are: ja zapobiegam, ty zapobiegasz, on/ona zapobiega, my zapobiegamy, wy zapobiegacie, oni zapobiegają. Zapobiegać is the imperfective aspect, emphasizing ongoing prevention or regular practice. Its perfective counterpart is zapobiec, which denotes a single act of prevention and is used for completed results (e.g., zapobiec chorobie, zapobiegną powikłaniom). Past and future forms then follow regular patterns for these aspects.

Examples: "Stosuję środki zapobiegawcze, aby zapobiegać chorobom." "Aby zapobiec powikłaniom, lekarz zalecił profilaktykę." "Działania te zapobiegną wielu nieszczęściom w przyszłości." Zapobiec is often used in formal or medical contexts to express a decisive preventive action, while zapobiegać covers ongoing or repeated prevention.