Learn Hardcore Dutch: Laten we even pauzeren en daarna verder oefenen. - Let’s pause for a moment and then continue practicing.

Grammatically, laten is the verb “to let,” and we is “we,” but in this structure it functions like an English imperative: a suggestion to do something together.

You can also drop we in very informal speech (Laten pauzeren), but Laten we … is the normal, correct form.

Why is “even” in the sentence, and what does it add? Does it mean “even” in English?

Dutch “even” here does not mean English “even” (as in even numbers or even now).

In this context, even is a small softening word that makes the suggestion sound lighter or more casual, a bit like saying:

Let’s *just take a break for a bit*
Let’s *quickly pause* (more about “briefly” than speed)

It suggests the pause is:

short / temporary, and
said in a friendly, non-pushy way.

You could say “Laten we pauzeren” without even, but it sounds a bit more direct and less casual.

What is the difference between “pauzeren” and “een pauze nemen”?

Both can mean “to take a break.”

Pauzeren = to pause, to take a break (verb)
- Laten we (even) pauzeren. – Let’s (just) pause / take a break.
Een pauze nemen = to take a break (verb phrase with a noun)
- Laten we (even) een pauze nemen. – Let’s (just) take a break.

Nuance:

pauzeren is a bit shorter and more neutral, often used in instructions, games, lessons, etc.
een pauze nemen is slightly more explicit and concrete (literally “take a break”), also very common.

In this sentence, you could replace pauzeren with een pauze nemen without changing the meaning much.

Why is it “en daarna” and not “en dan”? What’s the difference between “daarna” and “dan”?

Both can be translated as “then”, but they behave slightly differently:

daarna = after that / afterwards
- More clearly refers to a later moment in time, after something has finished.
- We pauzeren en daarna oefenen we verder. – We pause and after that we continue practising.
dan = then (very general)
- Can mean “then/at that time,” but also “in that case,” etc.
- We pauzeren, en dan oefenen we verder. – We pause, and then we continue practising.

In a simple sequence like this, “en daarna” and “en dan” are both possible.
“Daarna” makes the “afterwards” idea a bit more explicit and temporal; “dan” feels a bit more general and is very common in spoken Dutch.

What exactly does “verder oefenen” mean? Why not just “oefenen”?

“verder oefenen” literally means “to continue practising” or “to practise further.”

verder = further, farther, continue
oefenen = to practise

So:

verder oefenen = to keep practising / to go on practising
oefenen (alone) = just to practise (no explicit idea of continuation)

In this sentence, “verder oefenen” signals that you were already practising, you’re taking a short break, and after the break you will continue the same activity.

Is “verder oefenen” the same as “meer oefenen”?

Not exactly.

verder oefenen = to continue practising, carry on with what you were doing
- Focus: continuation
meer oefenen = to practise more, increase the amount of practice
- Focus: quantity (“more than before”)

Sometimes both are appropriate, but they don’t always mean the same:

Na de pauze gaan we verder oefenen.
= After the break we’ll continue practising (the same stuff).
Je moet meer oefenen.
= You need to practise more (more time / more often / more intensely).

What is the word order here? Could you say “Laten we pauzeren even” instead?

The normal word order is:

Laten – we – even – pauzeren – en – daarna – verder – oefenen.

Key points:

“even” comes before the main verb (pauzeren).
You cannot move even behind pauzeren in this sentence.
- ❌ Laten we pauzeren even (unnatural / wrong)
- ✅ Laten we even pauzeren

In main clauses with one main verb, small adverbs like even, ook, niet, al usually go before the verb they modify:

Ik wil even pauzeren.
We zullen daarna verder oefenen.

Is “Laten we even pauzeren …” formal, informal, or neutral?

It’s neutral and polite, fine in both informal and semi-formal contexts:

To a friend or family member
To a class, a group of colleagues, a meeting

It’s a soft, friendly suggestion rather than a command. If you wanted a very direct order, you might say:

We pauzeren nu. – We’re taking a break now. (more directive)

Could I also say “Zullen we even pauzeren en daarna verder oefenen?”? How does that differ?

Yes, that’s completely correct and very natural:

Zullen we even pauzeren en daarna verder oefenen?
= Shall we just take a break and then continue practising?

Difference:

Laten we … = “Let’s …”
- More like a proposal phrased as a statement.
Zullen we …? = “Shall we …?” / “Should we …?”
- Clearly a question, explicitly inviting confirmation or agreement.

Both are common; zullen we sounds slightly more like you’re asking rather than gently telling/suggesting.

Can I use “pauzeren” only for people, or also for things like videos and machines?

You can use pauzeren for both people and media/devices:

People:
- Laten we even pauzeren. – Let’s take a quick break.
Media/devices:
- Kun je de video even pauzeren? – Can you pause the video for a moment?
- De opname pauzeerde automatisch. – The recording paused automatically.

So it’s flexible, like English “to pause.”

How would this sentence change if I talk about myself only, not “we”?

If you want to talk about your own action (not a joint suggestion), you don’t use “Laten we …”. You would say:

Ik ga even pauzeren en daarna verder oefenen.
= I’m going to take a short break and then continue practising.

You could also say:

Ik pauzeer even en daarna oefen ik verder.

But “Ik ga even pauzeren …” is more common and natural in everyday speech.