aufhören

This is a separable verb. The auf is a traveler. It jumps to the very end of the sentence. For example, Ich höre jetzt auf. If you want to stop a specific thing, use the preposition mit. You need the dative case here. Ich höre mit der Arbeit auf. You can also use it with zu and an infinitive. Es hört auf zu regnen. It sounds natural and smooth. Just don't forget that auf at the end! Without it, you are just 'hearing' things, which is a different verb entirely.

Use it when the rain finally stops. Use it when you finish your shift at work. It is perfect for breaking bad habits like smoking. Tell your friend to stop teasing you with a sharp Hör auf!. It works for loud music or a long, boring meeting. It is the go-to word for actions that have a duration. If a process ends, aufhören is your best friend.

Do not use aufhören for a moving car. If you are driving and hit the brakes, use anhalten. If you are 'stopping by' a friend's house, use vorbeikommen. Also, do not use it for 'stopping' a physical person on the street. That would be stoppen. Aufhören is for processes and actions, not physical objects in motion. Using it for a car makes it sound like the car is retiring from its job!

Germans are known for being direct and efficient. If something is annoying, they say Hör auf!. There is no sugar-coating here. It reflects a culture that values clear boundaries and distinct endings. When work is over, it is truly over. This is the famous Feierabend culture. Once you aufhören with work, you focus entirely on your private life. It is about the clean cut between 'doing' and 'done'.

You might hear Hör mal auf!. This adds a bit of 'hey' or emphasis to the command. Aufhören! shouted alone is a very sharp command. It sounds like a teacher in a noisy classroom. In some regions, you might hear Hör uff!. That is just a dialect version of the same thing. It all means the same: enough is enough! Another common phrase is Wo haben wir aufgehört?, which means 'Where did we leave off?'