The verb to stop · Conjugation
Past Simple of stop
The answer: stopped
A2
A finished action at a definite time in the past.
Quick answer
The Past Simple of the verb to stop is stopped.
Example: I stopped smoking.
Full conjugation in the Past Simple
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| I | stopped |
| You | stopped |
| He / She / It | stopped |
| We | stopped |
| You (pl.) | stopped |
| They | stopped |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. The bus stoped here ❌
Say The bus stopped here. Stop has one syllable, with a short vowel + one consonant, so the p doubles: stop → stopped. It is the same for plan → planned.
2. I stopped to eat sweets ❌
If you mean that you don't eat sweets any more, say I stopped eating sweets. Stop + -ing means an activity ended. Stop + to + verb means you stopped in order to do something: I stopped to eat a sandwich.
Practice quiz
Going further
The English contest tests the Past Simple of stop in real sentences
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past tense of stop?+
Stop is a regular verb, but it doubles the p: its Past Simple is stopped. The rain stopped at five o'clock.
What is the difference between stopped doing and stopped to do?+
Stopped + -ing means an activity ended: She stopped playing the piano (she doesn't play any more). Stopped + to + verb gives the reason for stopping: She stopped to talk to her friend (she stopped walking so she could talk).
Why does stopped have a double p?+
Stop has one syllable and ends in one short vowel + one consonant. Verbs like this double the last consonant before -ed: stop → stopped, plan → planned.
What is a bus stop?+
A bus stop is the place where you wait for the bus: I waited at the bus stop for twenty minutes.
What does stop it mean?+
Stop it! tells someone to stop doing something right now: Stop it! I'm trying to work. It is a very common imperative (an order).
Related pages: stop Past Simple
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/stop/past-simple
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.
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More forms of the verb to stop are coming soon.