Quitting actions (deixar de)

Stopping an Action

To express stopping, quitting, or giving up an action, use deixar de followed by an infinitive. You can use this structure in any tense.

She stopped drinking alcohol.
Ela deixou de beber álcool.
You smoke now, but you are going to quit.
Tu fumas agora, mas vais deixar de fumar.

Making Healthy Choices

When adopting a healthier routine or trying to lose weight (emagrecer), you often need to give up a few bad habits.

I want to stop eating sugar to lose weight.
Eu quero deixar de comer açúcar para emagrecer.
Nobody can lose weight without giving up soda.
Ninguém consegue emagrecer sem deixar de beber refrigerantes.

Overcoming Addictions

To talk about breaking an addiction (o vício), you can use the adverb completamente (completely) to emphasize that the habit is gone for good.

The man stops smoking because the cigarette is a dangerous addiction.
O homem deixa de fumar porque o cigarro é um vício perigoso.
My father stopped smoking completely.
O meu pai deixou de fumar completamente.

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