How to Use “Evitar” in Spanish with Infinitives and Nouns

Introduction

The Spanish verb evitar, which means to avoid or to prevent, is a fundamental verb that English speakers learning Spanish will encounter frequently in both spoken and written communication. Understanding how to use evitar properly is essential for expressing avoidance and prevention in Spanish, whether you are talking about avoiding situations, actions, or consequences. This verb can be used with both infinitives and nouns, giving learners two distinct grammatical patterns to master. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the complete usage of evitar, including its conjugations, its patterns with infinitives and nouns, and practical examples that will help you incorporate this important verb into your Spanish vocabulary with confidence and accuracy.

What Does Evitar Mean and Its Basic Function

The verb evitar is a regular -ar verb in Spanish, meaning to avoid, to prevent, or to dodge. It is transitive, meaning it requires a direct object to complete its meaning. When you use evitar, you are expressing the action of staying away from something, preventing something from happening, or trying not to do something. The verb is incredibly versatile and can be applied to physical situations, emotional states, actions, responsibilities, and consequences.

In its most basic form, evitar functions like many other Spanish action verbs, but its specific usage patterns with infinitives and nouns require careful attention. Mastering these patterns will allow you to express complex ideas about avoidance and prevention with grammatical accuracy.

Conjugating Evitar in the Present Tense

Before diving into the specific patterns of evitar, it is helpful to understand how this regular -ar verb is conjugated in the present tense. Regular -ar verbs follow a predictable pattern, making evitar one of the easier Spanish verbs to conjugate:

yo evito (I avoid)
tú evitas (you avoid)
él, ella, usted evita (he, she, you formal avoid)
nosotros evitamos (we avoid)
vosotros evitáis (you all avoid, Spain)
ellos, ellas, ustedes evitan (they, you all avoid)

These conjugations remain consistent across most verb tenses, with the root evit- staying constant while the ending changes to reflect the subject. Understanding these conjugations is the foundation for using evitar correctly in all contexts.

Using Evitar with Infinitive Verbs

One of the most common ways to use evitar is with the infinitive form of another verb. When you want to express that someone avoids doing a particular action, you use evitar followed directly by an infinitive verb with no additional preposition between them. This is a crucial pattern for English speakers to understand because English often requires the gerund (the -ing form), but Spanish requires the infinitive.

The Pattern: Evitar + Infinitive

The basic structure is straightforward: the conjugated form of evitar is followed immediately by an infinitive verb. No preposition is needed between evitar and the infinitive that follows.

Evito hablar en público porque soy tímido. (I avoid speaking in public because I am shy.)
Ella evita comer alimentos muy picantes. (She avoids eating very spicy foods.)
Nosotros evitamos llegar tarde a las reuniones. (We avoid arriving late to meetings.)
Mis padres evitaban gastar demasiado dinero durante las vacaciones. (My parents avoided spending too much money during vacations.)

Common Examples with Infinitives

Understanding evitar with infinitives through various real-world examples helps consolidate this grammar pattern. These sentences demonstrate how native speakers use evitar in everyday situations:

Juan intenta evitar conducir cuando hay mucho tráfico. (Juan tries to avoid driving when there is a lot of traffic.)
Los estudiantes evitan estudiar la noche anterior al examen. (The students avoid studying the night before the exam.)
Debes evitar caminar solo por esa zona de noche. (You should avoid walking alone through that area at night.)
Mi hermano evita hacer ejercicio en días muy calurosos. (My brother avoids exercising on very hot days.)

The Difference from English Usage

English speakers must pay careful attention here. In English, we often use the gerund (the -ing form of verbs) after avoid. We say I avoid speaking, but we think of it as avoiding the action of speaking. In Spanish, however, you must use the infinitive form of the verb, not any gerund construction. This is one of the most common mistakes English speakers make when learning Spanish, so practice this pattern repeatedly until it becomes automatic.

Using Evitar with Nouns and Noun Phrases

The second major way to use evitar is with nouns or noun phrases. In this case, evitar is followed directly by a noun, which can be a single word or a complex noun phrase. This usage is also very common in Spanish and represents the most straightforward application of the verb.

The Pattern: Evitar + Noun

When using evitar with nouns, the structure is simply the conjugated form of evitar followed by a noun or noun phrase that represents what is being avoided. No preposition is used between evitar and the noun.

Evito el tráfico tomando rutas alternativas. (I avoid traffic by taking alternative routes.)
Ella evita el café después de las seis de la tarde. (She avoids coffee after six in the evening.)
Nosotros evitamos los problemas comunicando claramente. (We avoid problems by communicating clearly.)
Todos evitamos las confrontaciones innecesarias. (We all avoid unnecessary confrontations.)

Types of Nouns Used with Evitar

Many different types of nouns can follow evitar, including concrete nouns, abstract nouns, and complex noun phrases. The key is that you are avoiding a thing, concept, or situation rather than an action:

Evito los lugares ruidosos. (I avoid noisy places. – concrete nouns)
Ella evita la negatividad en su vida. (She avoids negativity in her life. – abstract nouns)
Nosotros evitamos las situaciones incómodas con amigos. (We avoid awkward situations with friends. – complex noun phrases)
Los viajeros evitan los hoteles en el centro porque son muy caros. (Travelers avoid hotels downtown because they are very expensive. – noun phrases with adjectives)

Evitar with Pronouns

You can also use evitar with pronouns as direct objects. In this case, the pronoun serves as the object of evitar, representing what is being avoided:

Lo evito completamente. (I avoid it completely.)
La evita porque tienen una relación complicada. (He avoids her because they have a complicated relationship.)
Los evitamos durante la semana laboral. (We avoid them during the work week.)

Distinguishing Between Infinitives and Nouns in Context

One important skill for Spanish learners is understanding when to use evitar with an infinitive versus when to use it with a noun. The choice depends on whether you are talking about avoiding an action or avoiding a thing or situation.

When to Use Infinitives

Use evitar with an infinitive when the focus is on the action itself, the thing that someone does not want to do. The infinitive emphasizes the activity or the action being prevented:

Intento evitar comer alimentos no saludables. (I try to avoid eating unhealthy foods. – focus on the action of eating)
Ella evita comprar cosas innecesarias. (She avoids buying unnecessary things. – focus on the action of buying)
Nosotros evitamos ir al cine los viernes porque está muy lleno. (We avoid going to the cinema on Fridays because it is very full. – focus on the action of going)

When to Use Nouns

Use evitar with a noun when the focus is on the specific thing, person, place, or situation being avoided, rather than the action. The noun is the direct object, the thing itself:

Evito los alimentos no saludables. (I avoid unhealthy foods. – focus on the foods themselves)
Ella evita las tiendas concurridas. (She avoids crowded stores. – focus on the stores themselves)
Nosotros evitamos los cines los viernes. (We avoid cinemas on Fridays. – focus on the cinemas themselves)

Context Matters

Sometimes the same idea can be expressed using either an infinitive or a noun, but the emphasis changes slightly. Both are grammatically correct, and native speakers choose based on what aspect they want to emphasize. Understanding this flexibility allows you to express yourself more naturally in Spanish.

Advanced Usage and Related Patterns

Beyond the basic patterns, there are additional ways that evitar appears in Spanish that are worth noting:

Evitar in the Preterite and Imperfect

While the present tense is most common, evitar is regularly used in past tenses as well. The patterns with infinitives and nouns remain identical:

Evité hablar durante la reunión. (I avoided speaking during the meeting.)
Evitaba los conflictos en el trabajo. (I used to avoid conflicts at work.)
Ella evitó tomar una decisión precipitada. (She avoided making a hasty decision.)
Ellos evitaban los restaurantes caros. (They used to avoid expensive restaurants.)

Evitar with Reflexive Construction

While evitar is not typically used as a reflexive verb, you might see constructions where reflexive pronouns are used differently. However, the standard transitive use is far more common in everyday Spanish.

Expressing Prevention with Evitar

Beyond the simple meaning of to avoid, evitar can also mean to prevent something from happening. In this sense, it is often used with infinitives and carries the meaning of stopping something before it occurs:

El sistema de seguridad evita que los ladrones entren en la casa. (The security system prevents thieves from entering the house.)
Este medicamento evita la propagación del virus. (This medication prevents the spread of the virus.)

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

English speakers learning Spanish often make predictable mistakes with evitar. Being aware of these common errors can help you develop better habits:

Mistake 1: Using a gerund instead of an infinitive. English speakers might say evito hablando when they mean evito hablar. Remember always to use the infinitive form.
Mistake 2: Adding unnecessary prepositions. Some learners add de or a between evitar and the infinitive, but no preposition is needed in standard Spanish.
Mistake 3: Confusing evitar with escapar or huir. While these verbs can express similar ideas, they are not interchangeable with evitar.

Practical Exercises for Mastering Evitar

To solidify your understanding of evitar, practice converting between infinitive and noun constructions, create sentences about your own avoidance patterns, and engage with native Spanish speakers using this verb in conversation. The more you practice, the more natural using evitar will become.

Conclusion

Mastering the use of evitar with both infinitives and nouns is an important step in developing fluency in Spanish. By understanding the straightforward patterns, recognizing the subtle differences between infinitive and noun usage, and practicing consistently, you can confidently express avoidance and prevention in all contexts. Remember that evitar followed by an infinitive focuses on the action being avoided, while evitar followed by a noun emphasizes the thing or situation being avoided. With these tools and patterns firmly in place, you will be able to communicate more naturally and effectively in Spanish, whether in casual conversation or formal writing.