Le patron est en pause maintenant.

The boss is on break now.

Breakdown of Le patron est en pause maintenant.

• être: to be
• maintenant: now
• le patron: the boss
• en pause: on break

Questions & Answers about Le patron est en pause maintenant.

What exactly does the French word in bold mean: Le patron?

It means the boss. Depending on context, it can imply the owner of a small business or simply the person in charge. Common alternatives:

• le/la chef: immediate supervisor; also “chief.”
• le/la gérant(e): manager of a shop/branch.
• le/la directeur(-trice): director, head of a department/company.
• le/la responsable: the person responsible/in charge (gender‑neutral feel).
• le boss: informal, borrowed from English.
• la direction: “management” (collective).

How do I say it if the boss is a woman?

Use la patronne. Other options:

• ma/ta/sa cheffe or la chef (both spellings exist for the feminine).
• ma supérieure hiérarchique: my line manager/superior.
• la responsable: the person in charge (neutral).

Why is it en pause and not something like “on pause” or “in a break”?

French uses en to mark a state or condition: être en pause = to be on break. Similar patterns:

• en réunion (in a meeting)
• en congé (on leave)
• en grève (on strike) “Sur pause” is common for media controls or, regionally (e.g., in Canada), for people; in standard France-French for a person, stick with en pause. “Dans une pause” is not idiomatic for this meaning.

What’s the difference between être en pause and faire/prendre une pause?

• être en pause states the current status: the person is on break now.
• faire une pause focuses on the act of taking a break.
• prendre une pause is very common in Canada; in France you’ll more often hear faire une pause. You can add detail: faire une pause café / déjeuner.

Where can I put maintenant in the sentence?

All of these are correct, with slightly different emphasis:

• Maintenant, le patron est en pause. (topic shift: “Now, the boss is on break.”)
• Le patron est maintenant en pause. (focus on the new state)
• Le patron est en pause maintenant. (neutral, everyday order) In speech, intonation does most of the work.

Is there a difference between maintenant, en ce moment, pour l’instant, tout de suite, and à présent?

Yes:

• maintenant: now, at this moment.
• en ce moment: these days/at the present time (can be a broader period).
• pour l’instant: for now/for the time being (temporary).
• tout de suite: right away/immediately.
• à présent: now, but more formal/literary.

How do I make the sentence negative?

Use ne … pas around the verb:

• Le patron n’est pas en pause maintenant. In casual speech, ne is often dropped: Le patron est pas en pause maintenant. Other negatives:
• n’est plus en pause (is no longer on break)
• n’est jamais en pause (is never on break)

Can I replace Le patron with a pronoun?

Yes, if the referent is clear:

• Il est en pause maintenant. If you’ve just mentioned the boss, il (or elle for a woman) is natural and avoids repetition.

Why can’t I say C’est en pause maintenant?

Because c’est needs a noun phrase or a clear identifier after it. Here the subject is a specific person, so you use il/elle est:

• Correct: Il est en pause.
• Also correct with emphasis: C’est le patron qui est en pause.

What’s the gender of pause, and why is there no article?

Pause is feminine: une pause, la pause, une petite pause. In the fixed expression être en pause, there’s no article—just like en vacances, en réunion.

How do I talk about different kinds of “breaks”?

Add a noun:

• en pause café (on a coffee break)
• en pause déjeuner (on lunch break) Verbal options:
• faire une pause café / déjeuner
• In Canada, you may also hear: être sur sa pause (regional).

What are good alternatives if I mean other kinds of absence?

• en congé (on leave/holiday)
• en arrêt maladie (on sick leave)
• en RTT (France: compensatory time off)
• en réunion (in a meeting)
• en déplacement (on a business trip) Choose according to the situation.

Is there any liaison or tricky pronunciation here?

Tips:

• Le = “luh”
• patron ≈ “pa-trohn” (final nasal vowel; no extra N sound)
• est en usually makes a liaison: you’ll hear a T sound, like “eh-tahn”
• pause ≈ “pohz”
• maintenant ≈ “meh(n)-t’nahn”; many speakers drop the middle vowel: maint’nant Natural rhythm: le pa-TRON | est-EN | PAU-se | main-te-NANT.

Does patron always mean “boss,” and how does it compare to chef?

• patron: boss/employer; often implies the top person or owner, especially in small businesses.
• chef: the person who supervises you directly; also “chief” or “head of” a team. Context decides which fits best: your immediate supervisor is usually your chef; the owner is the patron.

How do I put this in the plural?

• Mixed/unspecified gender: Les patrons sont en pause.
• All women: Les patronnes sont en pause. If you want neutral job titles: Les responsables sont en pause.

Is en pause also used for machines or media?

Yes:

• La vidéo est en pause.
• Mettre une vidéo en/sur pause. For people, standard France-French uses en pause; you’ll also see sur pause in device contexts and in some regional speech (e.g., Canada) for people.