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Conjugation Chart

“Detener” (to stop) in the Present Tense

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Understanding the Present Tense of “Detener”

The Present Tense of detener is used to express actions happening right now or habitual actions. For example, Detengo el coche en el semáforo. (I stop the car at the red light.)

Detener is an irregular verb, meaning its conjugations do not follow a set pattern in the present tense. You’ll need to memorize each form individually.

How to Use Detener in the Present Tense

Detener generally means to stop or halt something, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To stop or halt an action: For example, Yo detengo el carro en el semáforo. (I stop the car at the red light.)

To arrest or apprehend someone: For example, La policía detiene al ladrón. (The police arrest the thief.)

To prevent or impede: For example, El guardia detiene la entrada de personas sin boleto. (The guard prevents people without tickets from entering.)

To pause or suspend temporarily: For example, Detenemos la película para ir al baño. (We pause the movie to go to the bathroom.)

To stop and consider (figurative): For example, Me detengo a pensar en las consecuencias. (I stop to consider the consequences.)

Slang: To detain or keep someone waiting: For example, ¡No me detengas más, tengo prisa! (Don’t keep me waiting any longer, I’m in a hurry!)

Real Life Examples of Detener in the Present Tense

Yo detengo el coche en el semáforo. (I stop the car at the red light.)

Tú detienes el reloj cuando termina la carrera. (You stop the watch when the race finishes.)

Ella detiene la música cuando entra una llamada. (She stops the music when a call comes in.)

Nosotros detenemos el juego cuando alguien se lastima. (We stop the game when someone gets hurt.)

Ellos detienen la construcción por falta de fondos. (They stop the construction due to lack of funds.)

¿Por qué detienes el video cada cinco minutos? (Why do you stop the video every five minutes?)

Mi mamá detiene la plancha cuando suena el timbre. (My mom stops the iron when the doorbell rings.)

Los manifestantes detienen el tráfico en la avenida principal. (The protesters stop traffic on the main avenue.)

¿Puedes detener el microondas antes de que se queme la comida? (Can you stop the microwave before the food burns?)

La policía detiene a los sospechosos en la escena del crimen. (The police stop the suspects at the crime scene.)

Siempre detengo mi rutina de ejercicios con estiramientos. (I always stop my exercise routine with stretches.)

Los bomberos detienen el incendio antes de que se propague. (The firefighters stop the fire before it spreads.)

¿Puedes detener el ventilador? Hace demasiado frío. (Can you stop the fan? It’s too cold.)

El árbitro detiene el partido por mal comportamiento de los jugadores. (The referee stops the game due to the players’ misbehavior.)

Cuando llueve, detenemos el trabajo en la construcción. (When it rains, we stop work on the construction site.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Detener (to stop) in the Present Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.