die  Pause

A1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈpaʊzə/

🧘‍♀️ What exactly is a Pause?

Die Pause (feminine noun) means a temporary interruption of an activity, process, or speech. It often serves for rest, reflection, or a change. It's an everyday word used in many contexts.

• Interruption: A short or longer stop during work, learning, music, speaking, etc.
• Rest period: Time to relax and recharge (e.g., Mittagspause - lunch break).
• Stylistic device: In music or rhetoric, a deliberately placed moment of silence.

🚨 Attention: The word always uses the article die.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar Spotlight: die Pause

The noun "Pause" is feminine. Here are the declension tables:

📝 Example Sentences

1. Wir machen jetzt eine kurze Pause.
   (We are taking a short break now.)
2. Die Schüler freuen sich auf die große Pause.
   (The students are looking forward to the main break/recess.)
3. Nach einer langen Rede legte der Redner eine wirkungsvolle Pause ein.
   (After a long speech, the speaker took an effective pause.)
4. In der Pause trinken wir Kaffee.
   (We drink coffee during the break.)
5. Die Musik war voller überraschender Pausen.
   (The music was full of surprising pauses.)

🗣️ How to Use "die Pause"?

"Pause" is a very common word. Here are some typical contexts:

• Work & School: The most frequent use refers to work interruptions (Kaffeepause - coffee break, Mittagspause - lunch break, Raucherpause - smoking break) or school breaks (Hofpause - yard break/recess, große Pause - main break).
• Music & Theatre: Here it denotes the interval between acts (Theaterpause - intermission) or a moment of silence in music.
• Conversation & Speech: An interruption in the flow of speech, often as a rhetorical device (Denkpause - thinking pause, Kunstpause - dramatic pause).
• Sports: Halbzeitpause (half-time break) or other interruptions in the game.

Differentiation: While Pause often implies a planned or welcome interruption, Unterbrechung can also be disruptive or unexpected. Rast emphasizes physical rest, often during travel.

🧠 Mnemonics for Pause

Article Mnemonic: Think of feminine things often associated with taking a break, like "Die Tasse Kaffee" (the cup of coffee) you have during die Pause. Feminine nouns often end in -e, which fits "die Pause".

Meaning Mnemonic: "Pause" sounds almost identical to the English word "pause". When you pause what you're doing, you are taking a Pause.

↔️ Opposites and Alternatives

⚠️ Note: Verschnaufpause is more specific, meaning a short break to catch one's breath or rest briefly.

😄 Time for a Joke

Warum machen Skelette keine Pausen?

Weil sie keine Körper haben, die müde werden! 💀

(Why don't skeletons take breaks? Because they have no body to get tired!)

✍️ A Little Poem

Die Arbeit ruft, der Kopf ist schwer,
Ein Stopp muss her, ich kann nicht mehr.
Die Pause kommt, so kurz, so fein,
Ein Schluck Kaffee, dann geht's wieder rein.
Die Uhr, sie tickt, die Zeit verrinnt,
Bis die nächste Pause beginnt.

(Work calls, the head is heavy,
A stop is needed, I can't go on.
The break arrives, so short, so fine,
A sip of coffee, then back inside.
The clock, it ticks, time slips away,
Until the next break starts its day.)

❓ A Little Riddle

Ich unterbreche Arbeit und Spiel,
Bringe Ruhe, bin oft das Ziel.
In der Musik hab ich meinen Platz,
Und auch im Satz bin ich ein Schatz.

Was bin ich?

(I interrupt work and play,
Bring quietness, am often the goal.
In music, I have my place,
And also in a sentence, I'm a treasure.

What am I?)
(Answer: die Pause / the pause)

💡 More Interesting Facts

Compound Words: "Pause" is part of many useful compound nouns:

• Mittagspause: Lunch break.
• Kaffeepause: Coffee break.
• Raucherpause: Smoking break.
• Kunstpause: Dramatic pause (in speech).
• Halbzeitpause: Half-time break (in sports).
• Pausenbrot: Packed snack eaten during a break (literally 'break bread').

Etymology: The word comes from the Latin 'pausa' ("stopping, rest") via the Greek 'paûsis' ("cessation").