Regular -AR verb

parar
to stop

Parar is a regular -ar verb in Spanish.

Practice parar free →

Parar conjugation in Spanish

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

Meaningto stop
Verb type-ar verb
Regular / IrregularRegular
CEFR levelA2

Parar — conjugation tables

Parar (to stop) is a regular -ar verb.

Indicative
Presente guide →
yoparo
paras
élpara
nosparamos
vosparáis
ellosparan
Pretérito Indefinido guide →
yoparé
paraste
élparó
nosparamos
vosparasteis
ellospararon
Pretérito Imperfecto guide →
yoparaba
parabas
élparaba
nosparábamos
vosparabais
ellosparaban
Futuro guide →
yopararé
pararás
élparará
nospararemos
vospararéis
ellospararán
Condicional guide →
yopararía
pararías
élpararía
nospararíamos
vospararíais
ellospararían
Pretérito Perfecto guide →
yohe parado
has parado
élha parado
noshemos parado
voshabéis parado
elloshan parado
Pluscuamperfecto guide →
yohabía parado
habías parado
élhabía parado
noshabíamos parado
voshabíais parado
elloshabían parado
Futuro Compuesto guide →
yohabré parado
habrás parado
élhabrá parado
noshabremos parado
voshabréis parado
elloshabrán parado
Presente Progresivo guide →
yoestoy parando
estás parando
élestá parando
nosestamos parando
vosestáis parando
ellosestán parando
Subjunctive
Pres. Subjuntivo guide →
yopare
pares
élpare
nosparemos
vosparéis
ellosparen
Imperf. Subjuntivo guide →
yoparara
pararas
élparara
nosparáramos
vospararais
ellospararan
Imperative
Imperativo guide →
yo
para
élpare
nosparemos
vosparad
ellosparen

Example sentences with parar

Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.

1.
paro.
I stop.
2.
¿Paras?
Do you stop?
3.
Paró ayer.
He/she stoped yesterday.
4.
No paro mucho.
I don't stop much.
5.
Siempre paran juntos.
They always stop together.

How to use parar

Stopping

El autobús para aquí (the bus stops here).

Stop doing

Parar de + infinitive: no para de llover.

Reflexive

Pararse (to come to a stop).

Overlap

Close to dejar de (to stop doing).

Common phrases using parar

Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.

parar + infinitivoto to stop + another verb
no paroI don't to stop
¿Paras?question form

Idiomatic expressions

sin pararnon-stop
parar deto stop doing
ir a pararto end up

Common mistakes with parar

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.

Grammar notes

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.

Practice parar — free

Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.

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Quick quiz — parar

Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.

tú (Pretérito Indefinido)
yo (Presente)
yo (Futuro)

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate parar in the present tense?

yo: paro, tú: paras, él: para, nosotros: paramos, vosotros: paráis, ellos: paran

Is parar a regular or irregular verb?

Parar is a regular -ar verb following the standard -ar pattern.

How do you use parar in a GCSE Spanish essay?

Use parar in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.

Similar verbs to parar

Verbs that are easy to confuse with parar or that behave like it.

dejardejar de + infinitive also means to stop doing.
detenerto stop / detain — a more formal 'stop'.
seguirto continue — the opposite of stopping.

Related verbs

hablar caminar trabajar escuchar

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.