I've got to stop this

Question

Could it be "Necesito detener esto" or "Necesito que esto me detengo" (this way sounds best to me and it's probably the wrong way) or "tengo que detener esto"? Gracias.

good one jeez I've wondered that myself. I'm guessing " tengo que..." Can't wait to see answers. - Yeser007, Jun 16, 2010

Answer 1

Yes, "dejar de + infinitive" is "to stop doing something", as margaretbl just pointed out.

If you mean "to stop" in the sense of stopping something else (such as a ball that is rolling away from you), then you would use "parar" or "detener".

Otherwise, as previously stated, "tengo que dejar de hacer esto" is what you want.

thank you ladies for the answer and thanks jeezle for always coming up with great questions. - Yeser007, Jun 16, 2010

Answer 2

I've heard 'tengo que dejar de hacerlo' for what it's worth....

Answer 3

"Necesito / tengo que detener esto" work ok - but there are alternatives that may work better, depending on the situation.

Let's say that two of your workmates are arguing, and it's getting hotter by the minute. You may think: "Tengo que parar esto. "

Now let's say that you have been feeling moody and depressed, and every 35 minutes you feel so sorry for yourself that you just want to drop everything and cry. Eventually you may come to realize: "¡Esto no puede seguir así! ¡Tengo que parar con esto ya!"

Haha, that's great, I love the 'scene setting' makes it so understandable! - margaretbl, Jun 16, 2010

I really do love your answers, Gekko...Can you use "detener" in the same way as "parar"? - alba3, Jun 17, 2010

Answer 4

Well sure, dejar de is the obvious choice, but you know detenerse means stop too, and this show (30 rock in Spanish, it's pretty funny in Spanish) said "Tengo que detener esto" to mean "I have to stop this" So I was wondering about the choices. Gracias.

Answer 5

Are you saying this as in "I have to stop (doing) this.'' or "I have to stop this (from happening)"?

For the first option: Tengo que dejar de hacer esto.

For the second I think that "tengo que detener esto" is correct for stopping something from happening. I also think that "tengo que parar esto" would be a better option but it may be the same thing.

"Necesito que esto me detengo" sounds wrong to me.

It sounds wrong to me too, but it also sounds good like gravy on a juicy hotdog. Wrong and good. - jeezzle, Jun 16, 2010