The Imperfect Tense of Parar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo paraba el coche en el semáforo. (I used to stop the car at the red light.)

Parar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Parar (to stop) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of parar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

To stop or halt an action: Por ejemplo, Paraba de estudiar para tomar un descanso. (I used to stop studying to take a break.)

To pause or make a stop: Por ejemplo, Parábamos en cada pueblo durante nuestro viaje. (We would stop in every town during our trip.)

To stand still or remain stationary: Por ejemplo, El perro paraba de correr cuando le gritaba. (The dog would stop running when I yelled at it.)

To cease an activity (colloquial): Por ejemplo, ¿Podías parar de hacer tanto ruido? (Could you stop making so much noise?)

To pay attention or focus (colloquial): Por ejemplo, Paraba bolas a lo que decía el profesor. (I was paying attention to what the teacher was saying.)

Examples

Examples of Parar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo paraba en cada ciudad durante mi viaje por carretera. (I used to stop in every city during my road trip.)

Cuando parábamos a comer, siempre pedíamos demasiada comida. (When we stopped to eat, we always ordered too much food.)

Ella paraba de trabajar a las 5 pm para recoger a los niños de la escuela. (She used to stop working at 5 pm to pick up the kids from school.)

¿Por qué parabas de hablar cada vez que entraba alguien a la habitación? (Why did you stop talking every time someone entered the room?)

Mis amigos y yo parábamos de estudiar para tomar un descanso cada hora. (My friends and I used to stop studying to take a break every hour.)

El equipo paraba el juego cada vez que alguien se lastimaba. (The team used to stop the game whenever someone got hurt.)

Cuando paraba de llover, salíamos a caminar. (When it stopped raining, we would go out for a walk.)

Aunque parábamos de discutir por un rato, la pelea siempre continuaba. (Even though we stopped arguing for a while, the fight always continued.)

Ella paraba de fumar por un tiempo, pero luego volvía a hacerlo. (She used to stop smoking for a while, but then she would start again.)

Cuando paraba de llover, los niños salían a jugar. (When it stopped raining, the kids would go out to play.)

Cada vez que parábamos en una gasolinera, comprábamos bocadillos. (Every time we stopped at a gas station, we bought snacks.)

Él paraba de trabajar a las 6 pm para pasar tiempo con su familia. (He used to stop working at 6 pm to spend time with his family.)

Aunque paraba de estudiar por las noches, nunca descansaba lo suficiente. (Even though he stopped studying at night, he never rested enough.)

Cuando parábamos en un restaurante, siempre pedíamos demasiada comida. (When we stopped at a restaurant, we always ordered too much food.)

Ella paraba de trabajar los fines de semana para relajarse. (She used to stop working on weekends to relax.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Parar (to stop) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.