There are various ways to express the verb "to stop" in French, depending on what you mean.
Steps
Step 1. Learn the verb "to quit"
It is arrêter (aʀete). At present it is combined in the following way:
- j'arrête - I stop
- tu arrêtes - stop
- the arrête - stops
- nous arrêtons - let's stop
- vous arrêtez - stop (plural and / or form of courtesy)
- ils arrêtent - they stop.
Step 2. The words that indicate the action of stopping at a stop sign are:
- Arrête
- Stop (Anglicism sometimes used in Europe and Quebec).
Step 3. To ask someone to stop doing something, try saying:
- "Ne faites pas ça" or "arrête ça" - literally, "don't do it" or "quit".
- Ça suffit! - It's enough! Enough!
- Arrête! (Note that French punctuation requires a space after the word when you spell it.)
- "Stop!" - said with French intonation.
Step 4. If you want to tell someone to stop talking, use the word "halte"
- For example: "It's time to end this conversation", then "il est temps de dire halte à cette conversation".
- "Halte" also indicates a stop.
Step 5. If you want to tell someone to stop by interrupting them, use "interrupt"
Step 6. To ask someone not to keep talking, like when you say "enough", use the word "assez "or" suffisamment"
Step 7. If you intend to stop a thief, there is no particular expression in French
You can say '"Au voleur!".
Advice
- Practice using the words in different sentences to understand how to use them in various contexts.
- To ask someone to "stop talking", say "taisez-vous".
- To refer to a transport service that travels "non-stop", use the word "direct".
