To prevent something actively, in Hebrew, is לִמְנוֹע (leem-NOH-ah). For example, צָרִיך לַעֲבוֹד כְּדֵי לִמְנוֹעַ אָסוֹן (tsah-REEKH la-ah-VOHD ke-DEH-ee leem-NOH-ah ah-SOHN) – we need to work to prevent a disaster. למנוע is an active, “simple” verb, a פעל (pah-AHL) verb.
To avoid something is to prevent it from happening indirectly. For example, הִיא נִמְנַעַת מִלְּעַשֵּׁן (hee neem-NAH-aht mee-le-ah-SHEN) – she avoids smoking. And by avoiding smoking, she prevents smoking from occurring… at least by her.
The Hebrew word for to avoid is לְהִמָּנַע (le-hee-mah-NAH), and is always followed by מ – (m) – from, as in the example above. להמנע is also a “simple” verb, but not an active one; it’s a נפעל (neef-AHL) verb.
To figure out how to use this word in all different contexts and conjugations, please visit the נפעל page on ulpan.com.
