How to Say "Stop It Right Now" in Spanish

para ahora mismo

/paɾa aoɾa mismo/from spelling rules

The English phrase "stop it right now" is translated into Spanish as para ahora mismo.

This phrase is used as a command to tell someone to immediately end an annoying or forbidden behavior.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the imperative verb para (stop), the adverb ahora (now) and the intensifier mismo (right/exactly).

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For more formal situations, you can use Pare de inmediato (stop immediately), Deje de hacerlo ahora mismo (stop doing it right now) or Cese inmediatamente (cease immediately). If you want to sound more serious or formal, using the verb detener in the phrase detente ahora mismo is also an option. For very informal situations, you might say ¡Para ya! (stop it now) or ¡Deja eso, ahora mismo! (stop that right now!). A colloquial way to say "enough already" or "stop it" is Basta ya.

How does it change in a sentence?

To specifically include the object "it" (referring to an action or behavior), you can add the direct object pronoun lo to the end of the verb, resulting in páralo ahora mismo. If you are commanding a group of people to stop a behavior, use the plural imperative párenlo ahora mismo.

How do you pronounce it?

/paɾa aoɾa mismo/

When do people say it?

In many Spanish-speaking contexts, simply shouting ¡Ya! is a common and forceful way to tell someone to stop what they are doing immediately.

Did you know?

While ahora is the standard term for 'now', some dialects still use the older form agora, which was once mocked by writers like Quevedo as a 'rustic vulgarity'.
While para is used here as a command to stop, it is also one of the most common prepositions in Spanish, meaning 'for' or 'to'.

Examples in context

Por favor, pare de inmediato
Please, stop it right now
Cese inmediatamente
Cease it right now
¡Para ya!
Stop it right now
¡Basta ya!
Stop it already
Dr. González, por favor, pare de inmediato.
Dr. González, please stop it right now.
Señorita Ramírez, deje de hacerlo ahora mismo.
Miss Ramírez, stop doing it right now.
Por favor, cese inmediatamente.
Please, cease it right now.
¡Para ya, por favor!
Stop it right now, please!
¡Deja eso, ahora mismo!
Stop that right now!
¡Basta ya! No me molestes más.
Enough already! Stop bothering me.
¡Para ahora mismo!
Stop it right now!

Example conversation

Elena is teasing Mateo about his messy room.

Mateo

¡Para ahora mismo, Elena!
Stop it right now, Elena!
Elena

Solo estoy bromeando, Mateo.
I'm just joking, Mateo.
Mateo

No me hace ninguna gracia.
I don't find it funny at all.
Elena

Está bien, lo siento.
Okay, I'm sorry.

Sources

IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries ahora, mismo, para, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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How to Say “Stop It Right Now” in Spanish