Stop doing that! (dejar de)
Look for "stop" in the dictionary. It will show you "parar" which means "to stop", but usually in a physical sense:
El autobús para cerca de aquí = The bus stops near here.
Tuvimos que parar cuatro veces para echar gasolina = We had to stop four times to put in gas.
But when you want to talk about stopping some sort of activity, you use the verbal expression "dejar de + infinitivo" in Spanish. Here are some examples:
1. José dejó de fumar hace 3 años = José stopped smoking 3 years ago.
2. ¡Deja de hacer tanto ruido! = Stop making so much noise!
3. Ella se enfadó y dejó de llamarme = She got mad and stopped calling me.
4. Dejaré de trabajar cuando sea viejo = I'll stop working when I get old.
On a related note, you can use "dejar" alone when telling someone to stop doing something:
1. Deja lo que estás haciendo y ven conmigo = Stop what you're doing and come with me.
2. Deja eso y escúchame = Stop (doing) that and listen to me.
Brad
