arrêtent

Arrêtent is the third-person plural present indicative form of the French verb arrêter. The verb in general means to stop or to halt, and it can also mean to arrest someone in a law enforcement context. Therefore, arrê t e nt can translate as “they stop” or “they arrest,” depending on the object that follows.

The standard conjugation in the present tense is: j’arrête, tu arrêtes, il/elle arrête, nous arrêtons, vous arrêtez, ils/elles arrêtent. The forms carry accents on the vowels, and the third-person plural form arrête nt ends with -ent and often appears in writing with a circumflex on the ê.

Usage notes: Arrêter is a transitive verb that takes a direct object when meaning to stop or to arrest others (par exemple: ils arrêtent les suspects). It can also be used intransitively in the sense of ceasing an action, as in they stop talking: ils arrêtent de parler. The verb is common in everyday speech as well as in journalism, law enforcement, and administrative language.

Etymology is not typically explained in broad summaries, but arrêter belongs to the core French verb system and is widely used across registers.

See also: arrêt (noun) meaning a stop, halt, or court ruling; arrêt de travail (work stoppage); related forms include the other present-tense conjugations and compound tenses built with avoir.

In summary, arrête nt is a versatile verb form used to describe stopping or arresting actions by plural subjects, with meaning clarified by its direct object or accompanying context.