The Conditional Mood of detenerse is used to talk about hypothetical situations in the future, for example: Me detendría en esa tienda si tuviera dinero. (I would stop at that store if I had money.)

Detenerse is a stem-changing verb, meaning the stem vowel changes in certain conjugations. For the Conditional, the e becomes i in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Detenerse (to stop oneself) in the Conditional Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

The conditional mood of detenerse is used to express hypothetical situations, wishes, or possibilities in the future.

Expressing a hypothetical situation: For example, Me detendría en esa tienda si tuviera dinero. (I would stop at that store if I had money.)

Expressing a wish or desire: For example, Me detendría a tomar un café. (I would stop for a coffee.)

Expressing a possibility: For example, Si no tuviera prisa, me detendría a charlar un rato. (If I weren’t in a hurry, I would stop to chat for a while.)

Expressing politeness or courtesy: For example, ¿Se detendría un momento, por favor? (Would you stop for a moment, please?)

Expressing uncertainty or doubt: For example, No me detendría ahí, parece un lugar peligroso. (I wouldn’t stop there, it seems like a dangerous place.)

Idiomatic usage: For example, ¡Detente ahí mismo! (Stop right there!) is a common expression used to demand someone to stop what they’re doing immediately.

Examples

Examples of Detenerse in the Conditional Mood

Si el tráfico estuviera muy pesado, me detendría en una cafetería para tomar un descanso. (If traffic were really heavy, I would stop at a cafe to take a break.)

Cuando viajas por carretera, te detendrías en las áreas de descanso para estirar las piernas de vez en cuando, ¿verdad? (When traveling by road, you would stop at rest areas to stretch your legs from time to time, right?)

Un buen padre se detendría a ayudar a un niño perdido, sin importar las circunstancias. (A good father would stop to help a lost child, no matter the circumstances.)

En una situación de emergencia, nos detendríamos a prestar auxilio sin dudarlo. (In an emergency situation, we would stop to provide assistance without hesitation.)

Oye, si os detendríais a escuchar de vez en cuando, entenderíais mejor las cosas. (Hey, if you would stop to listen once in a while, you would understand things better.)

Los manifestantes se detendrían frente al edificio del gobierno para expresar sus demandas. (The protesters would stop in front of the government building to voice their demands.)

En un mundo ideal, la gente se detendría más a menudo para apreciar las pequeñas cosas de la vida. (In an ideal world, people would stop more often to appreciate the little things in life.)

¿Crees que te detendrías a ayudar a un extraño con las bolsas de la compra? (Do you think you would stop to help a stranger with their grocery bags?)

Dicen que cuando estás enamorado, te detendrías a oler las rosas más a menudo. (They say that when you’re in love, you would stop to smell the roses more often.)

En una persecución policial, los sospechosos no se detendrían por nada del mundo. (In a police chase, the suspects would not stop for anything in the world.)

Si fueras un artista callejero, te detendrías en cada esquina para tocar tu música, ¿no? (If you were a street artist, you would stop at every corner to play your music, wouldn’t you?)

Ojalá nos detendríamos más seguido para admirar la belleza natural que nos rodea. (I wish we would stop more often to admire the natural beauty around us.)

En un mundo perfecto, los líderes mundiales se detendrían a escuchar las preocupaciones de sus ciudadanos. (In a perfect world, world leaders would stop to listen to the concerns of their citizens.)

Si fueras un turista en una ciudad nueva, te detendrías en cada monumento para tomar fotos, ¿cierto? (If you were a tourist in a new city, you would stop at every monument to take pictures, right?)

Dicen que los buenos empleados se detendrían a ayudar a sus compañeros de trabajo cuando lo necesiten. (They say good employees would stop to help their coworkers when needed.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Detenerse (to stop oneself) in the Conditional Mood tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Conditional mood is also known as the Simple Conditional, Conditional Simple, Would Tense, or Future of the Past in English, and as Condicional Simple, Pospretérito, Potencial Simple, or Condicional de Indicativo in Spanish.