Para de vs. Parar de: Give a Command or Name an Action — Practice

Use para de as a direct command in casual speech

Para de + infinitive is a familiar spoken command meaning ‘stop…’: para de falar (stop talking), para de brincar (stop playing or joking). It comes from parar in a command form, where the final r is absent. Because it is direct, tone and relationship matter; soften it when the situation calls for courtesy.

Brazilian Portuguese often uses você with the third-person verb form, but commands vary by region and by whether a speaker uses tu. Para is widely understood; listen to the forms used around you.

Use parar de when the action is not a command

Parar de + infinitive is the full infinitive phrase ‘to stop doing something.’ It can follow another verb, a preposition, or a subject: preciso parar de trabalhar (I need to stop working). Keep the r when parar is not the direct command para.

The second verb stays in the infinitive: parar de fumar, parar de estudar. In a casual negative command, many people say não para de… for ‘don’t stop…’; careful writing may use não pare de….

Remember: Para de… is a casual direct command. Parar de… is the infinitive ‘to stop doing.’ Watch the final r to identify the form, and soften commands when appropriate.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. Stop using your phone while driving.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Para de mexer no celular enquanto dirige.

2. Stop worrying; I’ve already taken care of it.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Para de se preocupar; eu já resolvi.

3. Please stop interrupting the meeting.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Por favor, pare de interromper a reunião.

4. I want to stop translating everything in my head.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Quero parar de traduzir tudo na minha cabeça.

5. The rain stopped during the night.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A chuva parou de madrugada.

6. Don’t stop practising now.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Não para de praticar agora.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Para de… is a casual direct command. Parar de… is the infinitive ‘to stop doing.’ Watch the final r to identify the form, and soften commands when appropriate.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Para de vs. Parar de: Give a Command or Name an Action lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.