Vocab: ära hoidma

to prevent

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to prevent, to avert, to avoid, to prevent from happening or occurring

Building blocks

• ära - “away” or “off”

• hoidma - “to hold” or “to keep”

"Ära" comes from the Proto-Finnic verb “älä-” which is a negative imperative stem. In Estonian, "ära" is commonly used to indicate negation, movement away from something, or the completion of an action.

"Hoidma" stems from the Proto-Finnic verb “hoitadak” meaning "to hold" or "to care for.”

When combined, "ära hoidma" literally means "to hold off" or "to keep away," and it is used idiomatically to mean "to prevent" or "to avert."

How to use it

1. Preventing illnesses:

   • "Regulaarne kätepesu aitab haigusi ära hoida."

     • Translation: "Regular hand washing helps to prevent illnesses."

2. Preventing conflicts:

   • "Läbirääkimised võivad konflikti ära hoida."

     • Translation: "Negotiations can prevent conflict."

3. Preventing mistakes:

   • "Kontrollige oma tööd hoolikalt, et vigu ära hoida."

     • Translation: "Check your work carefully to prevent mistakes."

4. Preventing misunderstandings:

   • "Selgitage oma seisukohti selgelt, et arusaamatusi ära hoida."

     • Translation: "Explain your viewpoints clearly to prevent misunderstandings."

Example

Eelarve planeerimisega hoian ära rahalised raskused

Literally: “Budget planning-with I prevent financial difficulties”

Idiomatically: “By budgeting, I prevent financial difficulties”

Eelarve - Noun - Genitive Sg, "Budget"
planeerimisega - Noun - Comitative Sg, "with planning"
hoian ära - Compound verb - 1P Present Sg, "I prevent"
rahalised - Adjective - Nominative Pl, "financial"
raskused - Noun - Nominative Pl, "difficulties"