deja de pensar
/dexa de pensaɾ/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'stop thinking' is expressed as deja de pensar.
This phrase is an instruction to someone to cease their current process of thought or analysis. You may also encounter No pienses más to mean 'don't think anymore', or the colloquial expression Deja de darle vueltas and the equivalent Deja de comerte la cabeza when you want to tell someone to 'stop overthinking'.
Which one should you use?
While deja de pensar means to cease the act of thinking, the command no pienses (don't think) is a direct order not to perform a thought, though these are often used interchangeably when giving casual advice.
How does it change in a sentence?
deja de pensar uses the informal imperative, which is appropriate when speaking to a friend, a child or someone you know well. In contrast, deje de pensar uses the formal imperative, which is used when speaking to a stranger, an elder or in a professional context.
Did you know?
- The verb pensar is a doublet of the word pesar, which means 'to weigh'. This connects the act of thinking to the ancient concept of weighing or balancing ideas in one's mind.
- If you want to tell someone to stop overthinking in a colorful way, you can say deja de comerte la cabeza. This literally translates to 'stop eating your head', implying that excessive thought is consuming oneself.
- A common idiom for overthinking is darle vueltas, which literally means 'to give it turns' or 'to spin it'. It suggests that the person is circling the same thought repeatedly without reaching a conclusion.
Examples in context
- Juan, por favor, deja de pensar en eso.Juan, please stop thinking about that.
- Maria, te pido que ceses de pensar en ello.Maria, I ask you to stop thinking about it.
- Señor González, no piense más en eso, por favor.Mr. González, don't think about it anymore, please.
- Amiga, deja de darle vueltas a eso, relájate.Friend, stop overthinking about that, relax.
- Tío, deja de comerte la cabeza con eso y disfruta el momento.Dude, stop overthinking about that and enjoy the moment.
- Chicos, no piensen tanto y simplemente actúen.Guys, stop thinking so much and just act.
- Deja de pensar en el pasado.Stop thinking about the past.
- ¡Deja de pensar y actúa!Stop thinking and act!
Example conversation
Daniel is overanalyzing a minor mistake at work.
- MaríaDaniel, deja de pensar tanto.Daniel, stop thinking so much.
- DanielNo puedo evitarlo, María.I can't help it, María.
- MaríaSolo deja de pensar y descansa.Just stop thinking and rest.
- DanielEstá bien, lo intentaré.Okay, I will try.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, deja, pensar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
