Evita fumar.

Here it is most naturally understood as a command to tú: Evita fumar = Avoid smoking.

But grammatically, evita can also be the present tense form meaning he/she avoids or you (formal) avoid, depending on context. For example:

• Él evita fumar = He avoids smoking
• Usted evita fumar = You avoid smoking (formal)

So the form itself is a little ambiguous, but if the sentence is being taught as an instruction, it is the tú imperative.

Because after evitar, Spanish normally uses the infinitive: evitar + infinitive.

So:

• Evita fumar = Avoid smoking

English often uses an -ing form after avoid: avoid smoking.
Spanish usually uses the infinitive where English uses -ing.

So:

• fumar = to smoke / smoking in this structure

Fumando means smoking in the sense of while smoking, not the form you want after evitar.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.

In a command like Evita fumar, the verb already shows who the command is for: tú.

So Spanish usually says:

• Evita fumar

not:

• Tú evita fumar

Adding tú is possible for emphasis, but it is not normally needed.

Not exactly.

• No fumes = Don’t smoke
• Evita fumar = Avoid smoking

No fumes is a more direct prohibition.
Evita fumar sounds a bit less direct and can suggest a general recommendation, warning, or piece of advice.

So both may be used in situations related to smoking, but they are not identical.

Because evitar is used directly with an infinitive, without a preposition.

Correct:

• Evita fumar

Not correct:

• Evita de fumar

This is something you simply have to learn with the verb. In Spanish, some verbs take a preposition before an infinitive, and some do not. Evitar does not.

The formal singular command is:

• Evite fumar

This is used for usted.

So:

• Evita fumar = informal singular (tú)
• Evite fumar = formal singular (usted)

In Spain, if you are speaking informally to more than one person, you would say:

• Evitad fumar = informal plural (vosotros)

And the formal plural would be:

• Eviten fumar = formal plural (ustedes)

Yes, that is a very useful way to think about it.

In Evita fumar, the infinitive fumar functions a bit like a noun-like action: smoking.

So the sentence is literally something like:

• Avoid to smoke

But in natural English we say:

• Avoid smoking

This is a common pattern in Spanish: the infinitive often covers meanings that English expresses with -ing forms.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• eh-BEE-tah foo-MAR

A few notes:

• The stress in evita is on vi: e-VI-ta
• The stress in fumar is on the last syllable: fu-MAR
• In Spanish, v and b are pronounced very similarly, so evita does not sound like English vee

If you want a more Spain-focused pronunciation:

• the r in fumar is tapped lightly
• the vowels are short and clear: eh-vee-tah foo-mar

Yes, very naturally.

Evita fumar works well in:

• health advice
• public campaigns
• medical recommendations
• warning-style messages

It sounds like a general instruction or recommendation.

On a strict prohibition sign, though, Spanish more often uses:

• No fumar = No smoking
• Prohibido fumar = Smoking prohibited

So Evita fumar is more like advice than a standard sign forbidding smoking.

As a command to tú, evita is the affirmative imperative form of evitar.

For most -ar verbs, the affirmative tú command looks the same as the él/ella/usted present form.

So:

• infinitive: evitar
• present: él/ella/usted evita
• command to tú: evita

That is why the form can look ambiguous out of context.

In Spain, for an informal group, you would say:

• Evitad fumar

This is the vosotros command.

Other versions:

• Evita fumar = one person, informal
• Evitad fumar = more than one person, informal in Spain
• Eviten fumar = more than one person, formal

Since you asked about Spanish from Spain, vosotros forms like evitad are especially important.

They are both possible, but they mean slightly different things.

• Evita fumar = avoid smoking
• Evita el tabaco = avoid tobacco

Evita fumar focuses on the action.
Evita el tabaco focuses on the substance/product more generally.

So if the message is specifically about the act of smoking, Evita fumar is the more direct choice.