arrêter vs s’arrêter
arrêter and s’arrêter both relate to stopping, but they are used in different ways. The key point is simple:
- arrêter usually takes a direct object. Someone stops something.
- s’arrêter has no direct object. The subject stops itself.
1) arrêter meaning “to stop something”
arrêter is used when a person causes something else to stop.
- Il a arrêté la voiture. “He stopped the car.”
- Il arrête le film. “He stops the film.”
- J’ai arrêté le travail. “I stopped the work.”
- Ils arrêtent la musique. “They stop the music.”
This includes stopping an activity:
- J’ai arrêté de fumer. “I stopped smoking.”
- Il a arrêté de boire du café. “He stopped drinking coffee.”
- Elle arrête de parler. “She stops talking.”
You can think of it as acting on something.
2) arrêter meaning “to arrest”
arrêter also means to arrest someone. This is a common and important use.
- La police a arrêté le suspect. “The police arrested the suspect.”
- Ils ont arrêté un voleur. “They arrested a thief.”
3) s’arrêter meaning “to stop oneself”
s’arrêter is used when the subject stops. There is no direct object.
- La voiture s’arrête. “The car stops.”
- Il s’arrête devant la porte. “He stops in front of the door.”
- Nous nous arrêtons ici. “We stop here.”
- Elle s’est arrêtée brusquement. “She stopped suddenly.”
This often refers to movement.
4) s’arrêter with “de” meaning “to stop doing something”
s’arrêter de is also used before verbs.
- Il s’arrête de courir. “He stops running.”
- Elle s’est arrêtée de parler. “She stopped talking.”
In many cases, arrêter de is more common than s’arrêter de, but both exist.
Compare:
- Il a arrêté de courir. “He stopped running.”
- Il s’est arrêté de courir. “He stopped running.”
The first is more usual in modern French.
5) key contrast in meaning
The difference is often about control and focus.
With arrêter:
- someone stops something else
- the focus is on the action and its object
With s’arrêter:
- the subject stops itself
- the focus is on the subject
Compare:
- Il a arrêté la voiture. “He stopped the car.”
- La voiture s’est arrêtée. “The car stopped.”
- Elle a arrêté le bruit. “She stopped the noise.”
- Le bruit s’est arrêté. “The noise stopped.”
6) use with places
s’arrêter often appears with place words.
- On s’arrête au café. “We stop at the café.”
- Ils se sont arrêtés à Paris. “They stopped in Paris.”
- Arrête-toi ici. “Stop here.”
7) imperative forms
Both forms are common in commands.
- Arrête ça. “Stop that.”
- Arrête de parler. “Stop talking.”
- Arrêtez la voiture. “Stop the car.”
- Arrête-toi. “Stop.”
- Arrêtez-vous. “Stop.”
synonyms and alternatives
For arrêter meaning “to stop something”:
- stopper
- cesser
- interrompre
Examples:
- Il a stoppé la machine. “He stopped the machine.”
- Elle cesse de parler. “She stops talking.”
- Ils interrompent le travail. “They stop the work.”
For s’arrêter meaning “to stop”:
- se stopper
- cesser
- prendre fin
Examples:
- La pluie cesse. “The rain stops.”
- Le bruit prend fin. “The noise stops.”
For stopping an activity:
- arrêter de
- cesser de
- Il cesse de fumer. “He stops smoking.”
For “to arrest”:
- no close everyday synonym in common speech, though formal language may use interpeller
summary
- arrêter takes an object and means to stop something or arrest someone
- s’arrêter has no object and means to stop oneself
- arrêter de is the most common way to say “stop doing something”
- s’arrêter is often used for movement and places
- both forms are widely used and often contrast in pairs
