The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Parar is used to give direct orders or instructions to stop or halt an action, for example Para de correr. (Stop running.)

Parar is a regular -ar verb, meaning its conjugations follow the typical pattern for verbs ending in -ar in the present tense.

Conjugations

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

Parar 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 an action: for example, ¡Para de gritar! (Stop shouting!)

To stop moving: for example, ¡Para ahí! (Stop right there!)

To cease an activity: for example, ¡Para ya con eso! (Stop that already!)

To stand still: for example, ¡Para quieto! (Stand still!)

To pay attention (colloquial): for example, ¡Para las orejas! (Pay attention!)

To stop talking (rude): for example, ¡Para la boca! (Shut your mouth!)

Examples

Examples of Parar in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Para el coche! (Stop the car!)

Conductor, pare en la próxima estación. (Driver, stop at the next station.)

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

Señor, pare de gritar por favor. (Sir, please stop shouting.)

Niños, paren de correr en la casa. (Kids, stop running in the house.)

Oye, para con esa actitud negativa. (Hey, stop with that negative attitude.)

En la reunión, el jefe dijo: “Paremos y analicemos los datos.” (In the meeting, the boss said: “Let’s stop and analyze the data.”)

La policía gritó: “¡Pare o dispararé!” (The police shouted: “Stop or I’ll shoot!”)

Mamá, para de preocuparte tanto. (Mom, stop worrying so much.)

Antes de cruzar la calle, para y mira a ambos lados. (Before crossing the street, stop and look both ways.)

En el concierto, el cantante dijo: “Paremos un momento, necesito tomar agua.” (At the concert, the singer said: “Let’s stop for a moment, I need to drink some water.”)

Cuando discutes con tu pareja, para y respira profundamente. (When you argue with your partner, stop and take a deep breath.)

En el trabajo, mi jefe me dijo: “Para de procrastinar y termina el proyecto.” (At work, my boss told me: “Stop procrastinating and finish the project.”)

En el restaurante, le dije al mesero: “Pare, por favor, me trajo el plato equivocado.” (At the restaurant, I told the waiter: “Stop, please, you brought me the wrong dish.”)

Cuando viajas en grupo, a veces tienes que decir: “Paremos y preguntemos por direcciones.” (When traveling in a group, sometimes you have to say: “Let’s stop and ask for directions.”)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Parar (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.