The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Detenerse is used to give direct orders or instructions to stop or halt an action, for example Deténgase aquí. (Stop here.)

Detenerse is an irregular verb, meaning its conjugations do not follow the typical patterns of regular verbs.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Detenerse (to stop oneself) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish):

Detenerse generally means to stop or halt, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To stop moving: This is the most literal meaning, for example, ¡Deteneos! (Stop!) You might say this to someone who is walking or running and you want them to stop their motion.

To pause or halt an action: This extends beyond just physical motion, for example, ¡Deteneos, no sigáis con eso! (Stop, don’t continue with that!) You could use this to tell someone to stop what they are doing, whether it’s an activity, conversation, etc.

To stay or remain: In some contexts, it can mean to stay put or remain in a place, for example, ¡Deteneos aquí! (Stay here!) This usage implies not leaving a particular location.

Colloquial pause or wait: In casual speech, it can mean to pause or wait, for example, ¡Deteneos un momento! (Wait a moment!) This is a more informal way to ask someone to pause what they’re doing briefly.

Emphatic stop (rude): In a rude or aggressive tone, it can emphatically tell someone to stop doing something undesirable, for example, ¡Deteneos ya con esa tontería! (Stop that nonsense right now!) This forceful usage expresses strong disapproval.

Examples

Examples of Detenerse in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Deténganse! ¡Hay un semáforo en rojo! (Stop! There’s a red light!)

Por favor, detente y escucha mis instrucciones. (Please stop and listen to my instructions.)

Conductor, deténgase a un lado de la carretera. (Driver, pull over to the side of the road.)

Amigos, detengámonos un momento para tomar un descanso. (Friends, let’s stop for a moment to take a break.)

¡Oye, deteneos! ¡No pueden entrar ahí! (Hey, stop! You can’t go in there!)

Señoras y señores, por favor deténganse y formen una fila ordenada. (Ladies and gentlemen, please stop and form an orderly line.)

Mamá siempre dice: “Detente y piensa antes de actuar”. (Mom always says: “Stop and think before you act”.)

En la reunión, el jefe dijo: “Deténganse, necesitamos replantear nuestra estrategia”. (In the meeting, the boss said: “Stop, we need to rethink our strategy”.)

¡Deteneos, bandidos! ¡La policía está en camino! (Stop, bandits! The police are on their way!)

Antes de cruzar la calle, detente, mira a ambos lados y asegúrate de que sea seguro. (Before crossing the street, stop, look both ways and make sure it’s safe.)

¿Podrías detenerte un segundo? Necesito preguntarte algo. (Could you stop for a second? I need to ask you something.)

En el concierto, el cantante gritó: “¡Deténganse y aplaúdanse a sí mismos!” (At the concert, the singer shouted: “Stop and applaud yourselves!”)

Cuando veo a mi perro portándose mal, le digo: “Detente, ¡eso no se hace!” (When I see my dog misbehaving, I tell him: “Stop, you don’t do that!”)

En la clase de yoga, el instructor dijo: “Detengámonos y tomemos unas respiraciones profundas”. (In the yoga class, the instructor said: “Let’s stop and take some deep breaths”.)

Papá, ¿puedes detenerte en la tienda y comprar leche en el camino a casa? (Dad, can you stop at the store and buy milk on your way home?)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

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

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.