detener
verbCEFR B2
What does “detener” mean in English?
to halt, to detain
to halt, to detain (to bring a process to a stop or to apprehend a person; detener a alguien / detener un proceso)
Example sentences
La policía detuvo al conductor porque el vehículo no superaba la inspección técnica obligatoria.
The police stopped the driver because the vehicle did not pass the mandatory technical inspection.
El gobierno anunció medidas para detener el deterioro medioambiental de la cuenca del río.
The government announced measures to halt the environmental deterioration of the river basin.
Me detuve ante el escaparate para contemplar la exposición de fotografía que había en el interior.
I stopped in front of the shop window to look at the photography exhibition inside.
How to use it
Detener means 'to stop', 'to halt', or 'to detain/arrest'. It is irregular (like tener): yo detengo, él detiene. Transitive: detener un proceso (halt a process), detener a un sospechoso (arrest a suspect). The reflexive detenerse means 'to stop/pause': el coche se detuvo (the car stopped), me detuve a pensar (I stopped to think). At B2, both the legal arrest sense and the neutral halt/stop sense are important.
Common mistake
Detener (stop/detain — deliberate, forceful) vs. parar (stop — neutral, more physical). 'El coche se paró' (the car stopped — neutral); 'el coche se detuvo' (the car came to a halt — slightly more deliberate or dramatic). In legal contexts, only detener is used for arrest: 'la policía detuvo al sospechoso', not *paró.