What does detener mean?
detener means to detain in English. It is a irregular -er verb.
It can also be used with these related meanings: to arrest; to stop, halt, to pause.
Spanish verb guide
Detener Conjugation in Spanish
Learn detener, meaning to detain, through verified forms and contextual examples.
irregular-ergerund: deteniendoparticiple: detenido
Principal forms of detener
- Infinitive
- detener
- Gerund
- deteniendo
- Past participle
- detenido
Detener conjugation table
Compare the present, preterite, imperfect, and future forms. Reflexive pronouns are included where the verb requires them.
| Pronoun | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | detengo | detuve | detenía | detendré |
| tú | detienes | detuviste | detenías | detendrás |
| él / ella / usted | detiene | detuvo | detenía | detendrá |
| nosotros/as | detenemos | detuvimos | deteníamos | detendremos |
| ellos/as / ustedes | detienen | detuvieron | detenían | detendrán |
Pattern notes
- Its forms differ from a fully regular -er pattern in the present, preterite, future.
Examples with detener
¿Por qué no los detuviste?Why didn't you stop them?Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FR
La policía le detuvo por robo.The police arrested him for theft.Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FR
¿Por qué la policía no detiene a Tom?Why don't the police arrest Tom?Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FR
Practice prompts
- Conjugate detener for yo in the present.
- Use the preterite form for ella.
- Say the nosotros/as imperfect form.
- Write a short sentence in the future.
Practice detener online
Use VerbyGo for a quick conjugation round with instant feedback and accent checking.