Parar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb parar means to stop, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Parar means to stop, and it is used for stopping a car, stopping work and stopping rain, as well as in the expression parar de, to stop doing something. It is fully regular, and it is one of the most frequent verbs in spoken Spanish. Like every Spanish verb, parar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say paro el coche en el semáforo, and in the preterite you say paré en la gasolinera a descansar. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: parar
- English: to stop
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: parando
- Past participle: parado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + parado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for parar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Parar is fully regular: paré, paraba, pararé. Parar de + infinitive means to stop doing something.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for parar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | paro |
| tú | paras |
| él/ella/Ud. | para |
| nosotros/as | paramos |
| vosotros/as | paráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | paran |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | paré |
| tú | paraste |
| él/ella/Ud. | paró |
| nosotros/as | paramos |
| vosotros/as | parasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pararon |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | paraba |
| tú | parabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | paraba |
| nosotros/as | parábamos |
| vosotros/as | parabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | paraban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pararé |
| tú | pararás |
| él/ella/Ud. | parará |
| nosotros/as | pararemos |
| vosotros/as | pararéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pararán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pararía |
| tú | pararías |
| él/ella/Ud. | pararía |
| nosotros/as | pararíamos |
| vosotros/as | pararíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pararían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he parado |
| tú | has parado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha parado |
| nosotros/as | hemos parado |
| vosotros/as | habéis parado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han parado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había parado |
| tú | habías parado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había parado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos parado |
| vosotros/as | habíais parado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían parado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré parado |
| tú | habrás parado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá parado |
| nosotros/as | habremos parado |
| vosotros/as | habréis parado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán parado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría parado |
| tú | habrías parado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría parado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos parado |
| vosotros/as | habríais parado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían parado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pare |
| tú | pares |
| él/ella/Ud. | pare |
| nosotros/as | paremos |
| vosotros/as | paréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | paren |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | parara |
| tú | pararas |
| él/ella/Ud. | parara |
| nosotros/as | paráramos |
| vosotros/as | pararais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pararan |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | para |
| él/ella/Ud. | pare |
| nosotros/as | paremos |
| vosotros/as | parad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | paren |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pares |
| él/ella/Ud. | pare |
| nosotros/as | paremos |
| vosotros/as | paréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | paren |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | parando | with estar for the progressive: estoy parando |
| Past participle | parado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he parado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Paro el coche en el semáforo. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, paré de trabajar a las seis. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, paraba en la gasolinera a descansar. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, pararé la música de repente. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Pararía el coche en el semáforo si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he parado de trabajar a las seis. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había parado en la gasolinera a descansar antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré parado la música de repente. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría parado el coche en el semáforo con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él pare de trabajar a las seis. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él parara en la gasolinera a descansar, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Para la música de repente! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For parar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No pares el coche en el semáforo. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with parar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Paro el coche en el semáforo. — I stop the car at the traffic light.
- Para de trabajar a las seis. — He/she stops working at six.
- Ayer, paré en la gasolinera a descansar. — Yesterday, I stopped at the petrol station to rest.
- Antes, nosotros parábamos la música de repente. — Before, we used to stop the music suddenly.
- Mañana, tú pararás el coche en el semáforo. — Tomorrow, you will stop the car at the traffic light.
- Yo pararía de trabajar a las seis si tuviera más tiempo. — I would stop working at six if I had more time.
- Él ha parado en la gasolinera a descansar. — He has stopped at the petrol station to rest.
- Espero que él pare la música de repente. — I hope he stops the music suddenly.
- Yo ya había parado el coche en el semáforo antes de salir. — I had already stopped the car at the traffic light before leaving.
- Ellos paraban de trabajar a las seis cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to stop working at six when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo para el coche en el semáforo. — Right: Yo paro el coche en el semáforo. — The person matters: para is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is paro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo paro de trabajar a las seis. — Right: Ayer yo paré de trabajar a las seis. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: paro is happening now, while paré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating parar and detener as identical in every context. — Right: Parar means to stop, while detener means to stop. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: parar fits sentences such as Paro el coche en el semáforo, while detener belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy parado de trabajar a las seis. — Right: Yo he parado de trabajar a las seis. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he parado, has parado, ha parado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo paré en la gasolinera a descansar todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo paraba en la gasolinera a descansar todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (paraba), not the preterite. The preterite (paré) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on parar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el coche en el semáforo. (present tense) A. paro B. paras C. para D. paramos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ de trabajar a las seis. (preterite) A. paré B. paraste C. pararon D. paró
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en la gasolinera a descansar. (imperfect) A. parabas B. paraban C. parábamos D. paraba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la música de repente. (future) A. pararemos B. pararás C. pararé D. parará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el coche en el semáforo si pudiera. (conditional) A. pararía B. pararías C. pararían D. paro
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de trabajar a las seis. (present subjunctive) A. pares B. paremos C. paro D. pare
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en la gasolinera a descansar, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. paráramos B. paro C. parara D. pararas
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la música de repente. (present perfect) A. han parado B. hemos parado C. he parado D. has parado
Complete the command: ¡___ el coche en el semáforo! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. para B. pare C. paremos D. parad
Which is the gerund of parar, used with estar for the progressive? A. parado B. paro C. paré D. parando
Answer key
- paro — The first-person present of parar is paro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- paró — The third-person preterite of parar is paró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- parábamos — The nosotros imperfect of parar is parábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- pararás — The second-person future of parar is pararás.
- pararía — The first-person conditional of parar is pararía, the form for what would happen.
- pare — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of parar is pare.
- parara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of parar is parara.
- hemos parado — The nosotros present perfect of parar is hemos parado: hemos + parado.
- para — The affirmative tú imperative of parar is para.
- parando — The gerund of parar is parando: estoy parando. The participle parado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does parar mean in English?
Parar means to stop. It is used in everyday situations such as Paro el coche en el semáforo. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is parar regular or irregular?
Parar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including paro in the present and paré in the preterite.
What is the difference between parar and detener?
Parar means to stop, while detener means to stop. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use parar when you mean to stop, as in Paro el coche en el semáforo, and use detener for to stop. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I stop” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo paré de trabajar a las seis. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo paraba en la gasolinera a descansar. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he parado de trabajar a las seis.
How do I practise parar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the parar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Parar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for parar.
- Parar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for parar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Adelantar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with parar.
- Aguardar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with parar.
- Girar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with parar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.