Introduction
Precaver means “to take precautions”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Precaver means to take precautions or to foresee and prevent, and it is a formal verb for careful planning: precaver los riesgos, precaverse del frío. It is often used reflexively as precaverse, and its preterite third person uses y: precavió. This page shows precaver in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” — I take precautions the risks before the trip.
Precaver in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how precaver is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use precaver in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” — I take precautions the risks before the trip.
“¿Precaves el peligro con tiempo?” — Do you take precautions the danger in time?
“Precave los gastos del mes.” — He/she takes precautions the month's expenses.
“Nosotros precavemos las consecuencias de la decisión.” — We take precautions the consequences of the decision.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show precaver in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo precaví los riesgos antes del viaje.” — Yesterday, I took precautions the risks before the trip. (preterite)
“Antes, él precavía el peligro con tiempo.” — Before, he used to take precautions the danger in time. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of precaver stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros precaveremos los gastos del mes.” — Tomorrow, we will take precautions the month's expenses. (future)
“¿Tú has precavido las consecuencias de la decisión?” — Have you taken precautions the consequences of the decision? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros precavéis los riesgos antes del viaje.” — You take precautions the risks before the trip.
“Ellos precaven el peligro con tiempo.” — They take precautions the danger in time.
“Yo precavo los gastos del mes.” — I take precautions the month's expenses.
“Mi padre precave las consecuencias de la decisión.” — My father takes precautions the consequences of the decision.
Precaver in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how precaver appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú precaves el peligro con tiempo?” — Do you take precautions the danger in time?
Pedro: “Sí, yo precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” — Yes, I take precautions the risks before the trip.
Marta: “Nosotros precavemos las consecuencias de la decisión.” — We take precautions the consequences of the decision.
Pedro: “Y ellos precaven el peligro con tiempo.” — And they take precautions the danger in time.
Marta: “Vosotros precavéis los gastos del mes.” — You take precautions the month's expenses.
Pedro: “Sí, y él precave los riesgos antes del viaje.” — Yes, and he takes precautions the risks before the trip.
A short paragraph
Precave los riesgos antes del viaje, y nosotros precavemos las consecuencias de la decisión. Yo precavo el peligro con tiempo, y ellos precaven los gastos del mes. Precaver is part of everyday life, because take precautions is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with precaver
These are the errors learners actually make with precaver. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo precave los riesgos antes del viaje.” Right: “Yo precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” Why: The person matters: precave is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is precavo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo precavo el peligro con tiempo.” Right: “Ayer yo precaví el peligro con tiempo.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: precavo is happening now, while precaví is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating precaver and prevenir as identical in every context.” Right: “Precaver means to take precautions, while prevenir means to prevent.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: precaver fits sentences such as Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje, while prevenir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy precavido el peligro con tiempo.” Right: “Yo he precavido el peligro con tiempo.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he precavido, has precavido, ha precavido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo precaví los gastos del mes todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo precavía los gastos del mes todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (precavía), not the preterite. The preterite (precaví) is for one finished action.
Quiz: precaver in use
Ten questions on precaver in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ los riesgos antes del viaje.” (You take precautions the risks before the trip.)
- (a) precavéis
- (b) precavo
- (c) precaves
Answer: precavéis — The vosotros/as form of precaver in the present tense is precavéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el peligro con tiempo.” (They take precautions the danger in time.)
- (a) precaves
- (b) precaven
- (c) precavo
Answer: precaven — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of precaver in the present tense is precaven.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ los riesgos antes del viaje.” (Yesterday I took precautions the risks before the trip.)
- (a) precaviste
- (b) precavió
- (c) precaví
Answer: precaví — In the preterite, the yo form of precaver is precaví.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ el peligro con tiempo.” (Before, he used to take precautions the danger in time.)
- (a) precavía
- (b) precavo
- (c) precavías
Answer: precavía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of precaver is precavía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ los gastos del mes.” (Tomorrow we will take precautions the month's expenses.)
- (a) precaverás
- (b) precaveremos
- (c) precaveré
Answer: precaveremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of precaver is precaveremos.
6. What does precaver mean in English?
- (a) to take precautions
- (b) to proceed
- (c) to prevent
Answer: to take precautions — Precaver means “to take precautions”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo precave los riesgos antes del viaje.
- (b) Ellos precave el peligro con tiempo.
- (c) Yo precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.
Answer: Yo precavo los riesgos antes del viaje. — “Yo precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I take precautions the risks before the trip.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre precave las consecuencias de la decisión.
- (b) Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.
- (c) Precaven los riesgos antes del viaje.
Answer: Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje. — “Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of precaver in the present tense?
- (a) precavo
- (b) precaves
- (c) precavemos
Answer: precavemos — The nosotros form is precavemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros precaveremos los gastos del mes.
- (b) Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.
- (c) Ayer, yo precaví los riesgos antes del viaje.
Answer: Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje. — “Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I take precautions the risks before the trip' in Spanish?
Say 'Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje todos los días'.
How do you say 'He takes precautions the danger in time' in Spanish?
Say 'Él precave el peligro con tiempo'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes precave.
What is the difference between precaver and prevenir?
Precaver means to take precautions, while prevenir means to prevent. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use precaver when you mean to take precautions, as in 'Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje', and use prevenir for to prevent.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of precaver — every tense of precaver in one place.
- Precaver in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on precaver and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of precaver until they are automatic.