detuviste

Detuviste is the second-person singular form of the Spanish verb detener in the pretérito perfecto simple (preterite), meaning “you stopped” or “you detained,” depending on the context. Detener can refer to halting movement or to detaining a person, such as a suspect. In the preterite, detener is irregular in the stem, yielding the full paradigm: detuve, detuviste, detuvo, detuvimos, detuvisteis, detuvieron. The participle is detenido and the gerund is deteniendo. The verb derives from Latin detinēre, meaning to hold back or restrain.

Usage notes:

Detuviste is used to describe a completed action in the past by the listener (tú). It can indicate stopping a vehicle, interrupting an action, or detaining someone, among other senses of detener. The exact meaning depends on the surrounding context and object: for example, detuviste el coche indicates you stopped the car, while detuviste al sospechoso would mean you detained the suspect. In many everyday contexts, synonyms such as parar or detener are chosen for nuance or regional preference.

Examples:

- Ayer, tú detuviste el coche para preguntar por direcciones.

- En esa detención, tú detuviste al sospechoso hasta que llegó la policía.

See also:

Detener, detenido, detenerse, and the related conjugation patterns for irregular pretérite verbs.