7 Essential Ways to Say Stop in Spanish

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One of the most versatile words in English is “stop”. While one of the most common translations of this word in Spanish is parar, the truth is that there are a lot of different ways to say stop in Spanish, with some small nuances between them.

Let’s see what those synonyms are and in which cases we should use each of them. Also, we’ll see some common phrases that include the word stop in Spanish.

Stop in Spanish at a Glance

Spanish

English

Alto

Stop

Parar

To stop

Detener / Detenerse

To detain, to stop

Interrumpir

To interrupt, to pause

Poner fin a

To put an end to

Dejar de

To leave, to drop

Impedir

To impede, to prevent

All the Ways to Say Stop in Spanish

stop in spanish

Many of the synonyms that we’ll learn in this section can be literally translated as “stop” and some others have very similar meanings. With the help of the examples we’ll give you, you will realize which ones are interchangeable and which ones are meant to be used in specific situations.

Alto

The first way to say “stop” in Spanish we’re going to learn is alto . This is a word that can be used in different situations. For example, the traffic signs that say “STOP” in English, say ALTO in Spanish (or at least in most countries).

Alto is also used with the adverb ahí to make someone stop what they’re doing. In this case, we use it as an imperative.

Spanish

Alto ahí, estás yendo muy rápido y no te entiendo.

English

Stop right there, you’re going too fast and I don’t understand you.

We can also use it with the meaning of “halt”, either as a noun or as an interjection.

Spanish

  1. Sugerí un alto a la violencia.
  2. ¡Alto! El puente está en llamas.

English

  1. I suggested a halt to violence.
  2. Stop! The bridge is on fire.

Watch out! As you might know, alto is also an adjective, meaning “tall”.

Spanish

El edificio es alto.

English

The building is tall.

Parar

This is probably the most common verb we use to say “stop” in Spanish. Conjugated in the formal singular “you” (usted), we get pare, which is a polite way to ask someone to stop. As with alto, you can also see traffic signs that say PARE, depending on the country.

Spanish

Pare, por favor. El piso está mojado.

English

Stop, please. The floor is wet.

Here are some other ways parar can be used:

Spanish

  1. La maestra paró la pelea.
  2. Por fin paró de llover.
  3. Juana paró de comer.

English

  1. The teacher stopped the fight.
  2. It finally stopped raining.
  3. Juana stopped eating.

Detener or detenerse

The verb detener is usually used to stop something (or someone) in motion. The literal translation is “to detain”. It can be used in a similar way to parar. The difference is that detener is a bit more formal, and more often used in writing. Another meaning of the verb detener is “being arrested”.

Spanish

  1. El árbitro detuvo el partido.
  2. Queda detenido por exceso de velocidad.

English

  1. The referee stopped the match.
  2. You are under arrest for overspeeding.

In the case of detenerse, the reflexive form is used. In which case, the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nos, os or se, are associated with detener.

Spanish

  1. Mi corazón se detuvo.
  2. Debo detenerme y pensar.

English

  1. My heart stopped.
  2. I must stop and think.

Interrumpir

The verb interrumpir literally means “to interrupt”. We use it to express an unexpected detention or pause on something that is happening.

Spanish

Debemos interrumpir el acto por la tormenta.

English

We have to stop the event because of the storm.

Poner fin a

Poner fin a is an expression that literally translates to “to put an end to”. It’s generally used for more metaphorical ‒or not so literal‒ expressions.

Spanish

Necesito ponerle fin a esta relación.

English

I need to end this relationship.

Dejar de

The literal translation of dejar is “leave” or “drop”. But with the preposition de, dejar de means “to stop doing something”.

Spanish

María dejó de hablar conmigo.

English

María stopped talking to me.

Impedir

The verb impedir could be literally translated as “to prevent”. It is used to talk about things we want or wish to avoid.  

Spanish

No puedes impedir que se vaya.

English

You can’t stop him from leaving.

Different ways to ask someone to stop

Now that you know how to say stop in Spanish, we’ll see a list of common ways to ask someone to stop doing something in Spanish.

SpanishEnglish
¡Basta! No lo soporto más.Stop it! I can’t take it anymore.
Eso es suficiente, te vas a tu habitación.That’s enough, go to your room.
¿Puedes parar con ese ruido?Can you stop making that noise?
Rubén, detente, me estás molestando.Ruben, stop it, you’re annoying me.
Un momento, ¿a dónde crees que vas?Wait a minute, where do you think you’re going?
¡Alto ahí! No te muevasStop there! Don’t move.

Expressions and phrases with stop

Let’s take a look at some of the most common phrases with “stop” in Spanish.

Spanish phraseEnglish equivalent
Parar en seco  Luis paró en seco y me miró.To stop dead in its tracks Luis stopped dead in its tracks and looked at me.
Sin parar ¡Baile toda la noche sin parar!Non-stop I danced all night, non-stop!
Parar la bola Ahora necesito parar la bola y descansar un ratoTo stop and think Now I need to stop and calm down for a while.
Ir a parar ¿Dónde iremos a parar?End up Where will we end up?
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