How to Say “Stop” in Spanish

Ways to say it

These phrases are used when you want to express the cessation of an action, similar to 'to cease' or 'to desist' in English.

Which one should you use?

The choice between these forms often depends on the nature of the stoppage. dejar de often implies a permanent cessation or a decision to quit a habit. In contrast, parar de often implies a temporary interruption of an ongoing action. Note that while these two-part phrases are used for activities, the intransitive verb parar alone is used for physical movement or machines stopping, such as a car stopping.

Related words

Place to get on and off mass transport (noun): parada, paradero.

Punctuation symbol (noun): punto, punto final.

How does it change in a sentence?

Both dejar de and parar de are followed by an infinitive to express the meaning 'stop doing something' (stop + [verb-ing]).

How do you pronounce it?

/dexaɾ de/