The preterite of detenerse is used to express when someone stopped themselves at a specific moment. For example, “I stopped myself before entering the room” – “Me detuve antes de entrar en la habitación.”
This is an irregular reflexive verb in the preterite tense. Like other -tener verbs, it uses the stem ‘tuv-‘ throughout all conjugations, plus the appropriate reflexive pronouns.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Detenerse (to stop oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | me detuve |
| Tú | te detuviste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | se detuvo |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | nos detuvimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | os detuvisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | se detuvieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Detenerse (to stop oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Detenerse in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of detenerse indicates specific moments of stopping or pausing.
To stop oneself: Describes the moment of coming to a halt, for example Me detuve en el semáforo rojo (I stopped at the red light).
To pause/hesitate: Indicates a moment of hesitation, for example Se detuvo antes de responder (She paused before answering).
Examples
Examples of Detenerse in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Me detuve en la luz roja. (I stopped at the red light.)
El tren se detuvo en la estación. (The train stopped at the station.)
¿Por qué te detuviste tan repentinamente? (Why did you stop so suddenly?)
Nos detuvimos a descansar en el camino. (We stopped to rest on the way.)
Los manifestantes se detuvieron frente al edificio. (The protesters stopped in front of the building.)
El reloj se detuvo a medianoche. (The clock stopped at midnight.)
Te detuviste a pensar antes de responder. (You stopped to think before answering.)
La lluvia se detuvo al amanecer. (The rain stopped at dawn.)
Nos detuvimos a tomar fotos del paisaje. (We stopped to take photos of the landscape.)
Se detuvieron a comprar agua. (They stopped to buy water.)
Me detuve a admirar el atardecer. (I stopped to admire the sunset.)
El tiempo se detuvo en ese momento. (Time stopped at that moment.)
Detuvieron la producción por mantenimiento. (They stopped production for maintenance.)
Te detuviste justo a tiempo. (You stopped just in time.)
La música se detuvo abruptamente. (The music stopped abruptly.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Detenerse (to stop oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo me detuve | I stopped |
| Tú te detuviste | You stopped |
| Él / Ella / Usted se detuvo | He / She / You (formal) stopped |
| Nosotros / Nosotras nos detuvimos | We stopped |
| Vosotros / Vosotras os detuvisteis | You all stopped |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes se detuvieron | They / You all (formal) stopped |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.