Spanish word

pausa

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈpausa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounbreak

Example

Tomemos una pausa.

Let's take a break.

Illustration for pausa (break)

More examples

Durante la jornada, hago una pausa laboral al mediodía.

During the workday, I take a work break at midday.

Core concept

Brief pause in action to rest, regroup, or prepare for continuation.

Common phrases

  • hacer una pausa

    take a break

  • pausa laboral

    work break

  • pausa en la conversación

    pause in the conversation

Similar words

respiro: Very short breath-style pause to steady emotions before resuming.
paréntesis: Brief interruption in speech that pauses the ongoing discussion.
receso: Scheduled short recess during sessions or lessons for a break.
intervalo: Short interval between parts of an activity used for a break.

Definition in Spanish

Breve suspensión temporal de una actividad para descansar, recuperar fuerzas o preparar la continuación.

Word origin

Spanish pausa ultimately comes from Greek παῦσις via Latin pausa, the root conveying cessation and retained in the sense of a short break.

Usage tips

  • Pausa is feminine (la pausa) and commonly paired with tomar or hacer (tomar una pausa, hacer una pausa) in natural speech instead of using pausar.

Other meanings

  • intermissionnoun
  • pausenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • pausadamenteslowlyadverb
  • pausadounhurriedadjective

Word lists with this word