The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of detener is used to give direct orders or instructions to stop or halt an action, for example Detén el carro. (Stop the car.)

Detener is an irregular verb, meaning its conjugation follows a unique pattern that deviates from the standard rules.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Detener (to stop) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish):

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

To stop an action: For example, ¡Detén eso ahora mismo! (Stop that right now!)

To halt movement: For example, ¡Detente, no te vayas! (Stop, don’t go!)

To detain someone: For example, ¡Detengan al ladrón! (Detain the thief!)

To pause or interrupt: For example, ¡Detén la música un momento! (Stop the music for a moment!)

Colloquially, to calm down: For example, ¡Detente viejo, estás muy alterado! (Calm down dude, you’re too worked up!)

Rudely, to shut up: For example, ¡Detente ya, no me molestes más! (Shut up already, stop bothering me!)

Examples

Examples of Detener in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Detén el coche! (Stop the car!)

Niños, detengan ese ruido ahora mismo. (Kids, stop that noise right now.)

Detengamos un momento y pensemos en una solución. (Let’s stop for a moment and think of a solution.)

¡Detén, ladrón! ¡La policía está en camino! (Stop, thief! The police are on their way!)

Amigo, detén esa mala costumbre antes de que sea demasiado tarde. (Friend, stop that bad habit before it’s too late.)

Todos, detengan lo que están haciendo y escuchen con atención. (Everyone, stop what you’re doing and listen carefully.)

¡Detén ese chisme ahora mismo! No toleraré más rumores. (Stop that gossip right now! I won’t tolerate any more rumors.)

Detengamos esta discusión sin sentido y concentrémonos en lo que realmente importa. (Let’s stop this pointless argument and focus on what really matters.)

¡Detengan esa música tan alta! ¡Estoy tratando de estudiar! (Stop that loud music! I’m trying to study!)

Por favor, detén de enviar mensajes de texto mientras conduces. Es peligroso. (Please stop texting while driving. It’s dangerous.)

Compañeros, detengan el trabajo por hoy. Continuaremos mañana. (Colleagues, stop work for today. We’ll continue tomorrow.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Detener (to stop) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.