Focus on French Verbs: arrêter

The French verb arrêter most often means "to stop." You can use it when someone stops a person, object, activity, or process. It also has several other common meanings, including to arrest someone and, in more formal contexts, to set or decide something.

One of the most important patterns to learn is arrêter de + infinitive, which means to stop doing something.

Conjugation

Arrêter is a regular -er verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern for French verbs ending in -er.

See arrêter for all tenses and forms.

Common patterns and prepositions

Pronominal form: s'arrêter

S'arrêter is the pronominal form of arrêter. It means to stop moving or to come to a stop — without a direct object naming what is being stopped.

See s'arrêter for all tenses and forms.

Arrêter + noun means that the subject stops someone or something else. S'arrêter means that the subject stops itself or comes to a halt:

To tell someone to stop doing something, use arrêter de + infinitive (Arrête de parler !). S'arrêter describes coming to a stop, not stopping an activity with de.

Arrêter + noun: stopping someone or something

Use arrêter + noun when the subject causes someone or something else to stop:

The basic pattern is:

arrêter + noun

No preposition is required between arrêter and its direct object.

The object does not have to be something physically moving. You can arrêter an activity, process, project, production, or other ongoing action.

Arrêter de + infinitive

When arrêter means to stop doing something, use:

arrêter de + infinitive

The activity being stopped appears as an infinitive after de:

Compare the two basic patterns:

arrêter + noun — to stop something

arrêter de + infinitive — to stop doing something

Both constructions appear side by side:

This same construction also appears in ne pas arrêter de + infinitive, which means to keep doing something or to do it continually:

Although the expression is grammatically negative, its practical meaning is often that an action continues without stopping.

Arrêter quelqu'un

When the object of arrêter is a person, the verb can simply mean to stop someone:

In a police or legal context, however, arrêter quelqu'un means to arrest someone:

Context normally makes the distinction clear.

Arrêter une machine or device

Arrêter is commonly used when stopping a machine, system, or device:

Depending on what is being stopped, English may use stop, turn off, or shut down where French uses arrêter.

This is another reason not to translate arrêter mechanically with a single English verb.

Arrêter une date or decision

In more formal French, arrêter can mean to decide, establish, set, or settle something:

You may encounter this meaning with dates, plans, decisions, arrangements, or details that are being fixed or formally established.

This use is more formal than everyday arrêter meaning "to stop."

Arrête ! and Arrêtez !

The imperative forms Arrête ! and Arrêtez ! are common ways to tell someone to stop:

When you tell someone to stop a particular activity, use arrêter de + infinitive:

The tone depends heavily on context. Like English "Stop!", these commands can sound playful, annoyed, urgent, or forceful.

Ne pas arrêter de

The expression ne pas arrêter de + infinitive is especially common in everyday French.

Literally, it says that someone does not stop doing something:

But natural English translations often use keep, constantly, or continually:

Learning the entire pattern ne pas arrêter de + infinitive is more useful than trying to translate each word separately.

Common expressions with arrêter

Several useful expressions are built around arrêter:

• arrêter de + infinitive — to stop doing something
• ne pas arrêter de + infinitive — to keep doing something, not stop doing something
• arrêter quelqu'un — to stop or arrest someone
• arrêter une machine — to stop, turn off, or shut down a machine
• arrêter une date — to set or settle a date
• être arrêté — to be stopped or arrested

You will also frequently encounter sans arrêt, meaning constantly or nonstop:

Arrêt is a noun in this expression, but recognizing the relationship with arrêter can make the expression easier to remember.

Common errors

Use de before an infinitive

When arrêter means to stop doing something, use de:

The pattern is arrêter de + infinitive.

Don't add a preposition before a direct object

When you stop a person or thing, arrêter takes the object directly:

There is no à or de between arrêter and the object in these constructions.

Don't assume arrêter always translates as "stop"

The English translation changes with context:

The underlying French verb is the same, but English often chooses a more specific verb.

Arrêter vs cesser

Arrêter and cesser can both mean to stop or to cease, particularly when another verb follows:

Both verbs use de + infinitive in this construction.

Arrêter de is very common in everyday French. Cesser de often sounds more formal or written, although it also occurs in ordinary speech.

Arrêter vs interrompre

Arrêter usually presents an action or process as stopping:

Interrompre emphasizes an interruption or break:

An interruption does not necessarily mean that something has ended permanently. This makes interrompre useful when an activity is expected to resume.

Related verbs

The most useful pattern to learn first is arrêter de + infinitive. Once that construction is familiar, the other meanings of arrêter are usually easy to recognize from the object and the context.

From learning to practice

You will hear Arrête ! or Arrêtez ! with friends — the tone tells you whether it is playful, annoyed, or urgent. When someone talks about a habit they gave up, listen for J'ai arrêté de… and try the same frame for your own experience: J'ai arrêté de prendre le métro le matin, for example.