The first verb you likely learned for “to stop” in French is arrêter. It’s a fantastic, all-purpose word, but the French language, in all its richness, offers many other ways to express this idea. Whether you want to talk about quitting a job, ending a subscription, or telling someone to knock it off, there’s a specific verb or phrase that fits the situation perfectly.

Learning these alternatives will not only make your French sound more natural and precise but will also help you understand native speakers better. Ready to expand your vocabulary beyond the basics?

Let's explore 9 essential ways to say “to stop” in French!

1. The standard 'to stop' – Arrêter

The most common and versatile French verb for 'to stop' is arrêter. It's your go-to verb for most situations where you would use 'stop' in English.

Arrêter can be used in two main ways:

• Transitively: To stop an object or a person (e.g., to stop a car, to arrest a person).
• Intransitively: To stop doing an action (e.g., to stop talking).

When you want to say you are stopping an external object or person, you use arrêter followed directly by a noun. This is its transitive use. It can also mean 'to arrest'. For example, Le policier arrête la voiture (The police officer stops the car) or La police a arrêté le voleur (The police arrested the thief).

To express that you are stopping an activity, the correct structure is arrêter de followed by a verb in the infinitive. For instance, Il doit arrêter de fumer (He must stop smoking).

The reflexive form, s'arrêter, is used when the subject stops itself. It means 'to come to a stop' or 'to stop oneself'. This is very common for vehicles or people in motion. For example, Le bus s'arrête à ce coin (The bus stops at this corner).

The difference between arrêter de and s'arrêter is crucial. S'arrêter is about ceasing movement, while arrêter de is about ceasing an activity.

• Elle s'est arrêtée pour regarder la vitrine. (She stopped [walking] to look at the shop window.)
• Elle a arrêté de regarder la vitrine. (She stopped looking at the shop window.)

As a command, you will frequently hear Arrête ! (informal 'Stop!') or Arrêtez ! (formal/plural 'Stop!'). To be more specific, you can add the action: Arrête de te plaindre ! (Stop complaining!).

💡 * Arrête de faire ce bruit !

• Le train s'arrête à la prochaine gare.
• La police a arrêté le suspect hier soir.
• Je n'arrive pas à arrêter de penser à elle.
• Pourquoi la voiture s'est-elle arrêtée ?

The 'to stop oneself' or 'to come to a stop' – S'arrêter

The verb s'arrêter is a fundamental reflexive verb in French that translates to "to stop oneself" or "to come to a stop." Unlike its non-reflexive cousin, arrêter (to stop something/someone else), s'arrêter describes the action of the subject ceasing its own movement or activity.

The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) is essential. It indicates that the subject is performing the action upon itself. For example, La voiture s'arrête literally means "The car stops itself." This concept is key to distinguishing it from stopping an external object.

The most common use of s'arrêter is to describe a person, vehicle, or any moving object coming to a physical standstill. Whether you're on a walk, driving a car, or on a bus, this is the verb you use to talk about stopping.

S'arrêter isn't limited to physical movement. It can also mean to stop doing something, often followed by de + an infinitive verb. For instance, s'arrêter de parler means "to stop talking" and s'arrêter de travailler means "to stop working."

A crucial grammar point: as a reflexive verb, s'arrêter always conjugates with the auxiliary verb être in the passé composé. Remember that the past participle, arrêté, must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example: Il s'est arrêté (He stopped), but Elle s'est arrêtée (She stopped).

To master this verb, you must see the contrast. Arrêter takes a direct object: J'arrête la police (I stop the police). S'arrêter is about the subject: Je m'arrête devant la police (I stop [myself] in front of the police). The first is stopping something else; the second is stopping yourself.

💡 * Le bus s'arrête à cet arrêt.

• Elle s'est arrêtée de fumer l'année dernière.
• Arrête-toi ! Il y a une voiture qui arrive.
• Nous nous sommes arrêtés pour demander notre chemin.
• Pourquoi le film s'est-il arrêté au milieu ?

The formal 'to cease' – Cesser (de)

Meet cesser, the formal French verb for "to stop," "to cease," or "to quit." It's a more elevated and literary alternative to the common verb arrêter and is most often followed by the preposition de.

The primary meaning of cesser is to bring an action or a state to an end. Its usage immediately signals a higher level of formality, making it common in literature, official documents, and formal speech. You wouldn't typically use it in casual, everyday conversation.

The most frequent construction you'll need to know is cesser de + infinitive verb. This structure translates directly to "to stop doing something." For example, cesser de fumer means "to stop smoking."

Good news for learners: cesser is a regular -er verb! It follows the standard conjugation pattern, making it predictable and easy to use in different tenses. For example, in the present tense: je cesse, tu cesses, il/elle/on cesse.

While less common for beginners, cesser can also be used directly with a noun (without de). In this case, it means to end that specific thing. A classic example is cesser le feu, which means "to cease fire."

💡 * Il a cessé de pleuvoir. (It has stopped raining.)

• Veuillez cesser de faire du bruit. (Please stop making noise.)
• Elle ne cesse de parler de son voyage. (She doesn't stop talking about her trip.)
• L'entreprise cessera ses activités à la fin du mois. (The company will cease its activities at the end of the month.)

The 'to put an end to' – Mettre fin à

The French expression for 'to put an end to' is mettre fin à.

Mettre fin à literally means 'to put an end to' or 'to terminate'. It's a versatile phrase used to signify the definitive conclusion of a situation, relationship, contract, or conflict. It carries a more formal and final tone than simply saying arrêter (to stop).

This is a verbal expression where the verb mettre must be conjugated to agree with the subject and tense. The part fin à remains constant and is followed by the noun (or noun phrase) representing what is being terminated.

For example, in the passé composé, you would conjugate mettre to get j'ai mis, tu as mis, il/elle a mis, etc. The full phrase would be Il a mis fin à la discussion (He put an end to the discussion).

💡 * Il est temps de mettre fin à cette dispute. (It's time to put an end to this argument.)

• L'entreprise a décidé de mettre fin à son contrat. (The company decided to terminate his contract.)
• Elle a mis fin à leur relation la semaine dernière. (She ended their relationship last week.)
• Nous devons mettre fin à ces mauvaises habitudes. (We must put an end to these bad habits.)

1. The Verb for 'To Interrupt': Interrompre

The most direct and widely used French verb for 'to interrupt' is interrompre. It's a versatile verb that functions almost identically to its English counterpart, covering everything from conversations to actions.

As a verb ending in -rompre, it follows the same conjugation pattern as rompre (to break). This makes its conjugation predictable if you know the pattern for regular -re verbs, with some slight variations.

You can use interrompre when you cut someone off while they are speaking or disturb someone who is busy. A common polite phrase is Pardon de vous interrompre, which means 'Sorry to interrupt you.'

Beyond conversations, interrompre is also used for halting an action, a process, or an event. You can interrupt a movie, a meeting, or even your studies.

Interrompre is a transitive verb, which means it always requires a direct object. You interrupt someone (quelqu'un) or something (quelque chose). You cannot just say J'interromps without specifying what you are interrupting.

💡 * Ne m'interromps pas quand je parle !

• Le match a été interrompu à cause de la pluie.
• Excusez-moi de vous interrompre, mais le téléphone sonne pour vous.
• Elle a dû interrompre ses études pour travailler.

The informal 'to stop' (from English) – Stopper

The verb stopper is a direct borrowing from the English 'to stop' and is widely used in informal, everyday French. It's a simple and direct way to express the action of ceasing or halting something, recognized and understood by all native speakers.

As a regular -er verb, stopper is very easy to conjugate (e.g., je stoppe, tu stoppes, il stoppe). It functions just like its English counterpart and is often used to talk about stopping a machine, a vehicle, or an ongoing physical action. For example, you can stopper la musique (stop the music) or stopper la voiture (stop the car).

While stopper is common, the native French verb arrêter is more versatile and often preferred in formal contexts. Arrêter can mean to stop an action (arrêter de fumer - to stop smoking) or to arrest someone (la police arrête le voleur). Stopper is typically used for more immediate, physical, or mechanical cessations.

In casual conversation, using stopper is perfectly fine and will sound natural. However, for more formal writing or speech, or when you mean 'to quit' a habit, arrêter is usually the better choice. Think of stopper as a quick, direct 'stop' and arrêter as a more general 'cease' or 'halt'.

💡 * Peux-tu stopper la vidéo une seconde ? (Can you stop the video for a second?)

• Le bus a stoppé net au milieu de la route. (The bus stopped dead in the middle of the road.)
• J'ai stoppé mon abonnement au magazine. (I stopped my subscription to the magazine.)
• Stoppe la voiture, je crois qu'on est perdus. (Stop the car, I think we're lost.)

1. The command 'Halt!' – Halte !

The French word Halte ! is a direct command and interjection that translates to “Halt!” in English. It is used to give a firm and immediate order to stop.

You will typically encounter Halte ! in formal, official, or high-stakes situations, particularly in military, police, or security contexts. It carries a strong sense of authority and is not used in casual, everyday conversation.

For everyday situations where you want to tell someone to stop, it is much more natural to use Arrête ! (informal 'you') or Arrêtez-vous ! (formal/plural 'you'). Using Halte ! in a casual setting would sound overly dramatic.

💡 * Halte ! Qui va là ? (Halt! Who goes there?)

• La police a crié : « Halte ou je tire ! » (The police shouted: “Halt or I'll shoot!”)
• Le soldat a fait halte au poste de contrôle. (The soldier halted at the checkpoint.)

The expression 'That's enough!' – Ça suffit !

The expression 'That's enough!' – Ça suffit !

The most common and direct way to say 'That's enough!' in French is Ça suffit !. It is derived from the verb suffire, which means 'to be enough' or 'to suffice'. This versatile phrase can be used in many contexts, from stopping someone from pouring more wine to telling children to quiet down.

Pay close attention to your tone when using Ça suffit !. While it can be a neutral statement, your intonation can make it sound firm, impatient, or even angry. It generally functions as a command for an action to stop immediately.

You can soften the phrase by adding a polite word, for example, 'Ça suffit, merci' (That's enough, thank you), which is perfect for situations like refusing more food. For a much stronger, more emphatic command, you might hear 'Maintenant, ça suffit !' (Now, that's enough!).

💡 * Ça suffit ! Arrêtez de faire du bruit. (That's enough! Stop making noise.)

• Non merci, ça suffit pour moi. (No thank you, that's enough for me.)
• J'ai écouté tes excuses toute la journée. Maintenant, ça suffit ! (I've listened to your excuses all day. Now, that's enough!)

1. The 'to be done with' or 'finish with' – En finir avec

The French expression en finir avec directly translates to "to finish with" or "to be done with." However, it carries a stronger connotation than simply completing a task. It often implies a desire to put a definitive end to something, usually because it's annoying, difficult, or has been going on for too long. Think of it as meaning "to put an end to" or "to get it over with."

This is an idiomatic pronominal verb expression. The structure is always en finir avec + [quelque chose / quelqu'un] (something / someone). The en is a crucial part of the phrase and refers to the situation being ended. The verb finir is conjugated according to the subject.

A very common use of en finir avec is to express frustration or exasperation. It's the perfect phrase when you're fed up with a situation and want it to stop permanently.

For example: J'en ai marre de ce bruit, je veux en finir ! (I'm sick of this noise, I want it to be over!).

Beyond frustration, the expression is also used to signal a firm, decisive action to resolve a long-standing issue. In this context, it conveys resolution and finality. Politicians or leaders might use it to show their commitment to solving a problem.

For example: Le maire veut en finir avec les problèmes de circulation. (The mayor wants to put an end to the traffic problems).

💡 * Il est temps d'en finir avec ces disputes inutiles. (It's time to put an end to these useless arguments.)

• Je dois en finir avec ce projet avant vendredi. (I have to get this project done with before Friday.)
• Elle a finalement décidé d'en finir avec sa mauvaise habitude de fumer. (She finally decided to be done with her bad habit of smoking.)
• Le gouvernement a promis d'en finir avec la pauvreté. (The government promised to put an end to poverty.)

Are there other ways to say 'to stop' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'to stop' in French?

Our list covers the most common ways to say 'to stop' in French, like arrêter and cesser. However, French is a language rich with nuance, offering many other terms for specific situations, from formal language to modern slang.

To discover more, you can do an online search for “synonymes de arrêter” or look for verbs related to specific actions, like 'to quit a job' or 'to cease a habit' in French.

When you find a new synonym for 'to stop', pay close attention to the context and grammar. For instance, notice if it's reflexive (like s'arrêter) or if it's followed by a preposition like de. This will help you use it correctly.

As you watch French films, listen to music, or read books, keep an ear out for how native speakers tell someone or something to stop. You'll pick up on the subtle differences in tone and formality.

If you want to explore the different uses of verbs for 'to stop', online dictionaries like WordReference or Larousse are great resources. They provide example sentences that show the words in action.

I hope this guide has been helpful on your language journey. To finish, here is a fitting quote from French author André Gide that encourages us to keep going: 'Il est bien des choses qui ne paraissent impossibles que tant qu'on ne les a pas tentées.' (Many things seem impossible only for as long as one has not attempted them.)