hacer una pausa
verbCEFR B2
What does “hacer una pausa” mean in English?
to pause, to stop briefly
to pause, to stop briefly (hacer una pausa — temporarily stop an activity or speech before continuing)
Example sentences
El conferenciante hizo una pausa para dejar que el público asimilara la información.
The speaker paused to let the audience take in the information.
Necesito hacer una pausa; llevamos tres horas trabajando.
I need to take a break; we've been working for three hours.
El negociador hizo una larga pausa antes de responder.
The negotiator paused for a long time before responding.
How to use it
hacer una pausa means 'to pause' or 'to take a break'. In Spanish, 'pause' as a verb is almost always expressed as this noun phrase rather than a single verb. The duration can be specified: hacer una pausa de diez minutos. Also pausar exists but is used mainly for media/technology contexts.
Common mistake
English 'pause' is a single verb; in Spanish, learners may try *pausar (which exists only in tech contexts) or *hacer un pauso (gender error — it's la pausa, feminine). The correct phrase is hacer una pausa.