Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| arrêter | /a.ʁɛ.te/ (Europe) /a.ʁe.te/ (Europe) |
| cesser | /sɛ.se/ /se.se/ |
| s'arrêter |
In French, the way you say stop depends on whether you are stopping yourself, stopping something else or using a formal tone. To mean not to continue, you can use arrêter, cesser or the reflexive s'arrêter.
Which one should you use?
Use the reflexive form s'arrêter when the subject is the one coming to a halt, such as a person walking or a car moving. Use the non-reflexive form arrêter when you are stopping an external action, an object or a person. The verb cesser is more formal and often implies a permanent or definitive cessation of an activity compared to arrêter.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When arrêter is followed by another verb to indicate stopping an action, it must be followed by the preposition de (arrêter de).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of arrêter is /a.ʁɛ.te/ and it has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In France, the English word 'Stop' is used on road signs instead of a French translation because it is internationally recognized.
- The verb arrêter can also mean 'to decide' or 'to fix' something, such as when a government decides on a date for an event.
- In French, arrêter can be used to mean 'to arrest someone' by the police, not just to stop a movement.
Examples in context
- Il me faut cesser.I have to stop.This sentence shows the use of cesser to express a necessity to stop.Tatoeba #2443542 by sacredceltic, translation #2280305 by CK
- On doit arrêter ça.We've got to stop this.This sentence shows how to use arrêter to express the need to stop an action.Tatoeba #6375582 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #6375330 by OsoHombre
- Il me fallut cesser.I had to stop.This sentence demonstrates the use of cesser in a past tense context.Tatoeba #1892129 by sacredceltic, translation #1890722 by Spamster
- Arrêtez de fumer, s'il vous plaît.Stop smoking, please.
- Arrête de manger mes frites!Stop eating my fries!
- 519 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are walking in a busy street.
- EmmaLucas, il faut arrêter de marcher !Lucas, we have to stop walking!
- LucasPourquoi veux-tu arrêter, Emma ?Why do you want to stop, Emma?
- EmmaJe suis trop fatiguée.I am too tired.
- LucasD'accord, on s'arrête ici.Okay, let's stop here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stop” translations and entries arrêter, cesser, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
