#092: Understanding verbs — fermare, fermarsi and smettere (di)
The following two verbs, fermarsi and smettere (di), have different meanings. Care should be used when using these verbs as it is important to understand the context and usage:
- Fermarsi means to stop oneself from moving.
I stop at the store after I leave work.
Mi fermo al negozio dopo essere partito il lavoro. - Fermare, the non-reflexive counterpart, means to stop someone or something from moving:I stopped the dog.
Ho fermato il cane. - Smettere di means to stop doing something. In English, we would say:I stopped eating so much.
She stopped reading before bed.In English, the present participle is used, but in Italian, this is expressed with smettere + di + infintive:
I stopped drinking beer.
Ho smesso di bere birra.They stopped going to the gym.
Hanno smesso di andare in palestra.
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[...] smettere/smetterla di + infinito | to stop doing something (forever) [...]