para ahora mismo
/paɾa aoɾa mismo/from spelling rules
To say "stop right now" in Spanish, use para ahora mismo.
This phrase is an urgent command used to tell someone to cease their current action immediately.
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).
Which one should you use?
While para ahora mismo is a standard way to express the command, detente ahora mismo is a common alternative that uses the reflexive verb detenerse (to stop oneself).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word para is the informal singular imperative (tú) form of the verb parar.
How do you pronounce it?
/paɾa aoɾa mismo/
Did you know?
- The word ahora comes from the Latin phrase hāc hōrā, which literally means 'at this hour'.
- The word para is a homograph, meaning it is spelled exactly the same as the preposition para meaning 'for' and the third person singular form of the verb parar meaning 'he or she stops'.
- The word ahora evolved from the Old Spanish term agora, which was once considered a 'rustic vulgarity' by famous 17th-century writers like Francisco de Quevedo.
Examples in context
- ¡Para ahora mismo o habrá problemas!Stop right now or there will be problems!
Example conversation
Sofía is angry because Javier is making too much noise while she is working.
- SofíaJavier, ¡para ahora mismo!Javier, stop right now!
- JavierLo siento, Sofía, no quería molestarte.I'm sorry, Sofía, I didn't want to bother you.
- SofíaNo puedo concentrarme con tanto ruido.I can't concentrate with so much noise.
- JavierEstá bien, guardaré silencio de inmediato.Okay, I will be quiet immediately.
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.
