arrêter vs s’arrêter

ByFast French

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

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