Parar
to stop / to pause
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | paro | Eu paro de trabalhar às dezoito horas — regra sagrada. — I stop working at six in the evening — a sacred rule. |
| você/ele/ela | para | Ela para o carro onde não devia e acha que tá bem. — She parks the car where she shouldn't and thinks it's fine. |
| nós | paramos | Nós paramos de correr quando a perna avisa. — We stop running when our leg tells us to. |
| eles/elas | param | Eles param tudo quando o chefe chama — reflexo automático. — They stop everything when the boss calls — automatic reflex. |
I stop and take a deep breath when the situation is pressing — a simple technique that saves you. My friend never stops and that's how she advances — but also how she sometimes breaks. We stopped telling old stories that hurt more than they teach. Knowing when to stop is one of the hardest skills in life.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | parei | Eu parei de fumar há cinco anos sem olhar para trás. — I stopped smoking five years ago without looking back. |
| você/ele/ela | parou | Ela parou o carro de repente e saiu correndo. — She stopped the car suddenly and ran out. |
| nós | paramos | Nós paramos o projeto no meio por falta de verba. — We stopped the project halfway through due to lack of funds. |
| eles/elas | pararam | Eles pararam de falar por meses depois da briga. — They stopped speaking for months after the argument. |
The decision was difficult but necessary. I stopped investing in a partnership that wasn't giving returns — emotional or financial. My partner stopped trying to convince those who didn't want to be convinced. We stopped spending energy on conflict and redirected it to creation. The projects that stopped made room for the ones that flourished.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | parava | Eu parava tudo para assistir o jogo do Brasil. — I used to stop everything to watch Brazil's match. |
| você/ele/ela | parava | Ela parava na banca de jornal todo dia de manhã. — She used to stop at the newspaper stand every morning. |
| nós | parávamos | Nós parávamos à beira da estrada para ver o pôr do sol. — We used to pull over to watch the sunset. |
| eles/elas | paravam | Eles paravam de brincar quando a mãe chamava — uma vez. — They used to stop playing when mum called — once. |
In adolescence, I used to stop everything when my favourite song came on. I used to stop studying, eating, arguing — music first. My mum used to stop in the middle of a sentence when she realised I wasn't listening. We used to pull over to help whoever needed it — it was the family code. Some habits never stop — and thank goodness.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou parar | Vou parar de checar o e-mail depois das oito. — I'm going to stop checking email after eight. |
| você/ele/ela | vai parar | Ela vai parar de procrastinar — dessa vez de verdade. — She's going to stop procrastinating — this time for real. |
| nós | vamos parar | Vamos parar de adiar e tomar logo essa decisão. — We're going to stop delaying and make that decision now. |
| eles/elas | vão parar | Eles vão parar de fingir que está tudo bem. — They're going to stop pretending that everything is fine. |
The retreat starts tomorrow. I'm going to switch off my phone for seventy-two hours. My husband is going to stop working before six — a serious promise. We're going to stop delaying the conversation that's been waiting for months. Those who are going to stop pretending everything is fine are going to feel lighter.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | pararei | Pararei assim que terminar este capítulo. — I will stop as soon as this chapter is finished. |
| você/ele/ela | parará | A obra parará durante o feriado prolongado. — The building work will stop during the extended bank holiday. |
| nós | pararemos | Pararemos quando o objetivo for atingido. — We will stop when the objective is achieved. |
| eles/elas | pararão | As negociações pararão se não houver avanço. — The negotiations will stop if there is no progress. |
The communiqué was published: "Building works will stop between ten at night and six in the morning. We will stop all noisy activity at weekends. Workers will stop in the event of a risk identified by safety. I will personally stop any processes that do not comply with the protocol."
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | pararia | Eu pararia tudo para estar com ela nesse momento. — I would stop everything to be with her in this moment. |
| você/ele/ela | pararia | Ela pararia de trabalhar se tivesse independência financeira. — She would stop working if she had financial independence. |
| nós | pararíamos | Pararíamos mais vezes no caminho se o tempo deixasse. — We would stop more often along the way if time allowed. |
| eles/elas | parariam | Eles parariam de brigar se alguém pedisse desculpas. — They would stop arguing if someone apologised. |
If life were more generous, I would stop more to contemplate. My friend would stop running if someone told her everything was fine. We would stop comparing if we knew every journey is unique. People would stop hurting themselves with more space to process what they feel.
Parar across the tenses
A short story using parar in multiple tenses
Meu pai parava o carro à beira da estrada para mostrar o arco-íris para a gente. Parava sem avisar, de repente, como se o mundo merecesse atenção. Nós parávamos e olhávamos — e víamos o que ele queria que a gente visse.
Hoje eu paro o carro para mostrar o pôr do sol para a minha filha. Ontem parei no meio de uma frase para ouvir ela de verdade. Paramos juntas mais vezes do que eu parava antes — ela me ensinou isso.
No próximo verão, vou parar em cada lugar que valer a pena no caminho. "Se conseguir, pararei sempre que o coração pedir," escrevi.
Perguntei ao meu pai onde ele mais gostava de parar. Ele sorriu: "Onde pararia era onde havia alguém para dividir o que eu estava vendo. O lugar importava menos."
My dad used to stop the car by the road to show us the rainbow. He used to stop without warning, suddenly, as if the world deserved attention. We used to stop and look — and see what he wanted us to see. Today I stop the car to show my daughter the sunset. Yesterday I stopped in the middle of a sentence to really listen to her. We stop together more often than I used to — she taught me that. Next summer, I'm going to stop at every place worth stopping at along the way. "If I can, I will stop whenever my heart asks," I wrote. I asked my dad where he most liked to stop. He smiled: "Where I would stop was wherever there was someone to share what I was seeing. The place mattered less."
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