Word
Lui evita che i parassiti non distruggano la pianta.
Meaning
He prevents the parasites from destroying the plant.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Lui evita che i parassiti non distruggano la pianta.
lui
he
non
not
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
la pianta
the plant
Questions & Answers about Lui evita che i parassiti non distruggano la pianta.
Why is there a non before distruggano if the sentence doesn't mean "not destroying"?
This is known as the pleonastic non. After verbs of hindering, preventing, or avoiding (like evitare), Italian often includes a non in the dependent clause that does not actually negate the verb. It simply reinforces the idea that a negative outcome is being prevented. You can completely drop it (Lui evita che i parassiti distruggano la pianta) and the meaning remains exactly the same.
Why is distruggano in the subjunctive mood here?
Verbs expressing prevention or avoidance, like evitare che, require the subjunctive in the dependent clause. This is because the action (the parasites destroying the plant) is a hypothetical outcome that the subject is trying to stop, rather than a stated reality. Distruggano is the present subjunctive form of distruggere for loro (they).
Doesn't evitare usually mean "to avoid"? Why does the English translation say "prevents"?
While evitare translates literally to "avoid", saying "He avoids that the parasites destroy the plant" sounds unnatural in English. When evitare che is used to stop someone or something else from doing an action, "prevent" is the most natural English equivalent. You could also use the verb impedire (Lui impedisce che...) to get the same meaning.
Could we use the infinitive here instead, such as evita di distruggere?