Cesar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

cesar means “to cease, to stop” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Cesar means to cease or to stop, and it is a formal verb for stopping an activity: the rain ceases, a person ceases smoking, a noise ceases suddenly. It takes de before an infinitive, as in cesar de fumar, and it appears in weather, in law and in formal speech. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of cesar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the cesar present tense page.

cesar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with cesar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo ceso de fumar este año. — I cease smoking this year.
  2. Él/Ella cesa de quejarme tanto. — He ceases complaining so much.
  3. Nosotros/as cesamos de trabajar los domingos. — We cease working on Sundays.
  4. Ellos/as cesan de hablar por teléfono. — They cease talking on the phone.

In the past

Four sentences with cesar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo cesé de trabajar los domingos. — Yesterday, I ceased working on Sundays.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as cesábamos de hablar por teléfono. — Before, We used to cease talking on the phone.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella cesó de fumar este año. — Yesterday, He ceased smoking this year.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as cesaban de quejarme tanto. — As children, They used to cease complaining so much.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with cesar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú cesarás de fumar este año. — Tomorrow, You will cease smoking this year.
  2. Yo cesaría de quejarme tanto. — I would cease complaining so much.
  3. Espero que él cese de trabajar los domingos. — I hope he ceases working on Sundays.
  4. Él/Ella ha cesado de hablar por teléfono. — He has ceased talking on the phone.

cesar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú cesas de fumar este año mañana? — Are you going to cease smoking this year tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo ceso de fumar este año todos los días. — Yes, I cease smoking this year every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana cesarás de quejarme tanto? — And tomorrow, will you cease complaining so much? Luis: Claro, mañana cesaré de quejarme tanto sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will cease complaining so much without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo cesaré de trabajar los domingos también. — Perfect. I will cease working on Sundays too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer cesé de trabajar los domingos. — Yesterday, I ceased working on Sundays. Ana: ¿Y antes cesabas de hablar por teléfono? — And before, did you use to cease talking on the phone? Luis: Sí, antes cesaba de hablar por teléfono todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to cease talking on the phone every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos cesaron de fumar este año? — And did your brothers ceased smoking this year? Luis: Sí, ellos cesaron de fumar este año por la tarde. — Yes, they ceased smoking this year in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo cesa de fumar este año. — Right: Yo ceso de fumar este año. — The person matters: cesa is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ceso. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating cesar and parar as identical in every context. — Right: Cesar means to cease, to stop, while parar means to stop doing something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: cesar fits sentences such as Ceso de fumar este año, while parar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy cesado de quejarme tanto. — Right: Yo he cesado de quejarme tanto. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he cesado, has cesado, ha cesado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo cesé de trabajar los domingos todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo cesaba de trabajar los domingos todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (cesaba), not the preterite. The preterite (cesé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on cesar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de hablar por teléfono. (present tense) A. cesan B. ceso C. cesas D. cesa

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ de fumar este año. (preterite tense) A. cesé B. cesaste C. cesó D. cesamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ de quejarme tanto. (imperfect tense) A. cesábamos B. cesabais C. cesabas D. cesaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ de trabajar los domingos. (future tense) A. cesaremos B. cesará C. cesaré D. cesarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ de hablar por teléfono. (conditional tense) A. cesaríamos B. cesaría C. cesarías D. cesaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ de fumar este año. (present-perfect tense) A. has cesado B. ha cesado C. hemos cesado D. he cesado

  7. What does cesar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to cease, to stop D. to stop doing something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo cesé de trabajar los domingos. B. Yo cesa de fumar este año. C. Yo ceso de fumar este año. D. Él/Ella cesa de quejarme tanto.

  9. Which is the gerund of cesar, used with estar for the progressive? A. cesando B. cesado C. ceso D. cesé

  10. Which is the past participle of cesar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. cesando B. ceso C. cesé D. cesado

Answer key

  1. cesan — The correct form here is cesan.
  2. cesamos — The correct form here is cesamos.
  3. cesabas — The correct form here is cesabas.
  4. cesará — The correct form here is cesará.
  5. cesaríamos — The correct form here is cesaríamos.
  6. he cesado — The correct form here is he cesado.
  7. to cease, to stop — Cesar means to cease, to stop. Parar means to stop doing something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo cesa de fumar este año. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo ceso de fumar este año.. The person matters: cesa is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ceso. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. cesando — The gerund of cesar is cesando: estoy cesando.
  10. cesado — The past participle of cesar is cesado: he cesado, has cesado, ha cesado.

Frequently asked questions

What does cesar mean?

Cesar means to cease, to stop. Cesar means to cease or to stop, and it is a formal verb for stopping an activity: the rain ceases, a person ceases smoking, a noise ceases suddenly. It takes de before an infinitive, as in cesar de fumar, and it appears in weather, in law and in formal speech.

When do people use cesar most?

People use cesar most in everyday situations such as Yo ceso de fumar este año. and Ayer, Yo cesé de trabajar los domingos.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between cesar and parar?

Cesar means to cease, to stop, while parar means to stop doing something. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of cesar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of cesar as your reference, the cesar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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