Nach der Pause suche ich meinen Schlüssel.

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Breakdown of Nach der Pause suche ich meinen Schlüssel.

• nach: after
• mein: my; (masculine or neuter, nominative)
• die Pause: the break

Questions & Answers about Nach der Pause suche ich meinen Schlüssel.

Why is Pause preceded by der in Nach der Pause?

The preposition nach always governs the dative case. Pause is a feminine noun (die Pause), and its dative singular form is der Pause, so you get nach der Pause.

Why does the verb suche come before the subject ich?

German main clauses follow the “verb‑second” (V2) rule. Because Nach der Pause is the first element, the finite verb suche must come next, and then the subject ich follows.

Why is meinen Schlüssel in the accusative case?

The verb suchen is transitive and takes a direct object, which in German must be in the accusative. Schlüssel is masculine (der Schlüssel), so in accusative singular the possessive pronoun mein changes to meinen, giving meinen Schlüssel.

Could I drop the article and say nach Pause instead of nach der Pause?

No. When referring to a specific time period in German, you generally need the definite article. Nach der Pause is the correct form; nach Pause sounds unnatural and is ungrammatical here.