止まる and 止める: stopping, parking, and readings
Describe vehicles and machines stopping with their locations and objects, and distinguish とめる from やめる in context.
Where a vehicle stops
バスが駅前に止まりました。 says that the bus stopped in front of the station. With 止まる, read とまる, the bus is the subject and 駅前に marks where it stopped.
ここに車を止めてもいいですか。 asks whether the speaker may park the car here. With 止める, read とめる, を marks the car being stopped or parked.
A stopped result and a request to stop
時計が止まっています。 describes a clock that has stopped and is not running. It need not mean that a stopping action is currently in progress.
点検するので、機械を止めてください。 asks someone to stop a machine for inspection. Do not phrase it as 機械が止まってください, as if the machine were being addressed.
とめる and やめる
雨が強くなったので、散歩をやめました。 says that the speaker abandoned the walk because the rain grew heavier. やめる can also be written 止める, so context matters for the reading.
The 止める detail link here is the とめる entry. Do not assign the same reading to stopping a car in 車を止める and abandoning an activity in 散歩をやめる.
How is 止める read in ここに車を止めてもいいですか, asking permission to park here?
Show the answer and why
It is read とめる. It refers to stopping or parking the car, distinct from やめる for abandoning an activity.