The preterite of detener is used to express a specific instance of stopping or detaining something or someone in the past, for example La policía detuvo al sospechoso anoche (The police detained the suspect last night). This tense emphasizes the completed action of stopping at a particular moment.

This is an irregular verb that follows the same pattern as ‘tener’ in the preterite. The stem changes to ‘detuv-‘ throughout most of its conjugation, creating a distinct pattern that must be memorized.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Detener (to stop/detain) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of detener describes a completed action of stopping or detaining in the past.

To stop: Describes halting movement or action, for example Detuve el coche en el semáforo (I stopped the car at the traffic light) or Detuvo la pelota con el pie (He/she stopped the ball with their foot).

To arrest/detain: Used in law enforcement context, for example La policía detuvo al sospechoso (The police arrested the suspect).

To hold back/restrain: Used for preventing movement or action, for example Me detuve antes de decir algo inapropiado (I stopped myself before saying something inappropriate).

Examples

Examples of Detener in the Preterite (Past) Tense

La policía detuvo al sospechoso. (The police stopped the suspect.)

Detuve el carro en el semáforo rojo. (I stopped the car at the red light.)

Detuviste la pelea a tiempo. (You stopped the fight in time.)

El guardia detuvo a los intrusos. (The guard detained the intruders.)

Detuvimos el proyecto por falta de fondos. (We stopped the project due to lack of funds.)

Las autoridades detuvieron la construcción. (The authorities stopped the construction.)

Detuve la música cuando llegaron los invitados. (I stopped the music when the guests arrived.)

Detuviste el sangrado con presión. (You stopped the bleeding with pressure.)

El juez detuvo el proceso. (The judge stopped the process.)

Detuvimos el partido por la lluvia. (We stopped the game due to rain.)

Los bomberos detuvieron el incendio. (The firefighters stopped the fire.)

Detuve mis lágrimas durante la ceremonia. (I held back my tears during the ceremony.)

Detuviste el reloj a medianoche. (You stopped the clock at midnight.)

El tiempo se detuvo por un momento. (Time stood still for a moment.)

Detuvimos la expansión del virus. (We stopped the spread of the virus.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Detener (to stop/detain) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.