detener Preterite Conjugation
detener — to stop
The preterite of detener is highly irregular, using the 'uv' stem: detuve, detuviste, detuvo, detuvimos, detuvisteis, detuvieron.
detener Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past, such as when the police arrested someone or when you stopped a machine at a specific time.
Notes on detener in the Preterite
It uses the irregular stem 'detuv-'. Crucially, the endings do not have accents (detuve, not detuvé), and the third-person singular ends in -o (detuvo).
Example Sentences
Detuve el motor justo a tiempo.
I stopped the engine just in time.
yo
La policía detuvo a tres personas ayer.
The police detained three people yesterday.
él/ella/usted
Nos detuvimos para descansar un poco.
We stopped to rest a bit.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using regular endings like 'detení' or 'detenió'.
Correct: detuve / detuvo
Why: Detener follows the irregular 'uv' pattern of tener in the preterite.
Mistake: Writing 'detuviéron' with an accent.
Correct: detuvieron
Why: The third-person plural preterite ending -ieron does not take an accent.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'detener' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: detengo
The present tense of detener is irregular, featuring a 'go' form in the first person (detengo) and a stem change (e to ie) in others.
Imperfect
yo: detenía
The imperfect of detener is regular: detenía, detenías, detenía, deteníamos, deteníais, detenían.
Future
yo: detendré
The future tense of detener uses the irregular stem 'detendr-': detendré, detendrás, detendrá, etc.
Conditional
yo: detendría
The conditional of detener uses the irregular stem 'detendr-': detendría, detendrías, etc.
Present Subjunctive
yo: detenga
The present subjunctive of detener is based on the 'yo' form: detenga, detengas, detenga, detengamos, detengáis, detengan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: detuviera
The imperfect subjunctive of detener uses the preterite stem 'detuvier-'.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: detén
The imperative for detener has a short 'tú' form: detén.
Negative Imperative
yo: no detengas
The negative imperative of detener uses the present subjunctive: no detengas, no detenga, no detengamos, no detengáis, no detengan.