Parar means 'to stop', and it is a regular -ar verb useful in transport, directions and narrative. El tren para en cada estación (the train stops at every station). The reflexive pararse means to come to a stop or, in some regions, to stand up. The structure parar de + infinitive means to stop doing something: no para de llover (it won't stop raining). It overlaps with dejar de. Because stopping and starting feature in so much description and storytelling, parar is a handy everyday verb, and its forms are entirely regular.
Quick facts
Parar (to stop) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
El autobús para aquí (the bus stops here).
Parar de + infinitive: no para de llover.
Pararse (to come to a stop).
Close to dejar de (to stop doing).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
Parar is a regular verb. Make sure you know the endings for each tense — especially the preterite and subjunctive, which is where marks are most often lost.
parar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know parar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice parar now →Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.
yo: paro, tú: paras, él: para, nosotros: paramos, vosotros: paráis, ellos: paran
Parar is a regular -ar verb following the standard -ar pattern.
Use parar in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with parar or that behave like it.
This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Parar is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.
Last updated 2 August 2026. Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.