How to Say Stop in French

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There are a few ways to say "stop" in French, depending on what you mean. In both France and Canada, the word 'stop' has been adopted into the language, despite it being an English word. However, the french word "arrêter" is more commonly used. See below for some examples of specific situations and the best word(s) to use.

1

Learn the verb for "to stop".

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  1. It is conjugated as follows:
    • j'arrête - I stop
    • tu arrêtes - you (singular familiar) stop
    • il arrête - he stops
    • nous arrêtons - we stop
    • vous arrêtez - you (plural and/or unfamiliar) stop
    • ils arrêtent - they stop.
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2

Know what to look for on a stop sign.

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    • Arrête
    • Stop (sometimes anglicized in both Europe and Quebec).
3

Ask someone to stop doing something.

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    • "Ne faites pas ça" or "arrête ça" – literally, "don't do that", or stop that!
    • Ça suffit ! – that's enough!
    • Arrête ! (Note that if writing it, the punctuation point involves a space, which is French punctuation.)
    • "Stop!" - said with a French intonation.
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4

Use "halte" to put a stop to something.

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  1. "It is time to put a stop to this conversation. " would be "il est temps de dire halte à cette conversation".
    • "Halte" also describes a stopping place.
5

Know when to use "interrompre."

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6

Express when something is enough.

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  1. Both of these words express the sentiment of there being enough and no need to add more.
7

Stop a thief.

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  1. It is "Au voleur !".
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  • Question
    How do I say "don't worry" in French?
    Community Answer
    "Ne vous inquiétez pas."
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  • Question
    How do I say I'm sad in French?
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    Je suis triste.
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  • Question
    How do I say "Can you stop please?"?
    Community Answer
    "Arrête-toi, s'il te plaît?", or more formally, "Arrêtez-vous, s'il vous plaît?" .
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        Apr 25, 2017

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