Arrête de jouer
The phrase stop playing in French is Arrête de jouer.
The phrase Arrête de jouer is used to tell someone to cease a game or an activity. It can also be used figuratively to mean 'stop fooling around' or 'stop messing about'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The informal way to say '(Please) stop playing' is Arrête de jouer. For a formal way to say '(Please) stop playing', use Arrêtez de jouer, s'il vous plaît. Additionally, the word cesse is slightly more formal than arrête.
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form Arrête de jouer uses the singular imperative, which is used when speaking to one person you know well, such as a child or a friend. To say 'stop playing' to a group of people or to someone you address formally, you must use the plural imperative Arrêtez de jouer.
Did you know?
- The French word joueur (player) can also be used as an adjective to describe someone who is flirtatious or a 'player' in the romantic sense.
- The word jouer can also apply to gambling. If someone is losing too much money at a casino, a concerned friend might say Arrête de jouer to tell them to stop betting.
- If you use the more formal Cesse de jouer, you sound much more dramatic or literary. This version is something you might find in a classic 19th-century French novel rather than in a modern playground.
Examples in context
- Arrête de jouer avec ça.Stop playing with that.This sentence is useful for showing how to use Arrête de jouer with an object.Tatoeba #4962408 by franlexcois, translation #3727924 by CM
- Arrête de jouer à Minecraft !Stop playing Minecraft.This sentence shows how to use Arrête de jouer with a specific game.Tatoeba #2226535 by sacredceltic, translation #2223781 by Hybrid
- Arrête de jouer avec mes cheveux.Stop playing with my hair.This sentence demonstrates using Arrête de jouer in the context of hair.Tatoeba #10711037 by xhlulu, translation #5629345 by Hybrid
- Excusez-moi, pourriez-vous arrêter de jouer, s'il vous plaît?Excuse me, could you please stop playing?
- Arrête de jouer, tu me distrais.Stop playing, you're distracting me.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan is playing a loud video game while Chloé is trying to study.
- NathanJe vais gagner cette partie !I'm going to win this game!
- ChloéArrête de jouer, je ne peux pas me concentrer.Stop playing, I can't concentrate.
- NathanEncore cinq minutes, Chloé.Five more minutes, Chloé.
- ChloéNon, maintenant !No, now!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
