Everyone needs a break — and in German, you’ll want the right word for it. Learning how to say pause in German isn’t just about vocabulary, it’s about knowing how to navigate everyday moments: asking for a break, suggesting one, or describing how you spent yours. The word is short, easy to pronounce, and comes up all the time in school, work, and social life.
The German word for pause is die Pause, and the plural is die Pausen. It’s a feminine noun, and if you need help making sense of German gender and articles, my video lesson on gender explains it step by step.
This is one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, so it’s worth getting comfortable with early on.
Here’s how Pause appears across the four cases:
Nominative:
Die Pause dauert nur zehn Minuten.
The break only lasts ten minutes.
Accusative:
Ich brauche eine Pause.
I need a break.
Dative:
Nach der Pause geht der Unterricht weiter.
After the break, class continues.
Genitive:
Die Länge der Pause war perfekt.
The length of the break was perfect.
In everyday German, this word comes up with verbs like machen (to take/do), brauchen (to need), or einlegen (to insert/take). You’ll hear sentences like eine Pause machen (to take a break) or wir haben keine Pause gehabt (we didn’t get a break). Adjectives like kurz (short), lang (long), wohlverdient (well-deserved), or nötig (necessary) help describe what kind of break you’re talking about.
Here’s how it might sound in a real conversation:
A: Ich kann mich nicht mehr konzentrieren.
B: Dann mach doch eine Pause!
A: I can't concentrate anymore.
B: Then take a break!
To help you practice using this word, here’s a question to think about. You don’t need to write the answer — just say it out loud in German:
“Was machst du gern in der Pause?”
What do you like to do during a break?
If you’re just getting started with German, this is a great way to build confidence and fluency with useful everyday words.
German Word of the Day
Now you’ve learned how to say pause in German and how to use it in everyday conversation — from classrooms to cafés. Keep building your vocabulary with context-rich, learner-friendly words like this one.
Download the free illustrated PDF of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German and build your fluency one word at a time.
Ready for more German Words of the Day?
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Or learn Partner — and how it’s used beyond romance.