Learn Hardcore German: Mein Lebenslauf ist zu lang, um ihn ohne Pause zu lesen. - My CV is too long to read without a break.

Because German object pronouns agree in gender and case with their noun. Lebenslauf is masculine (der Lebenslauf). In the infinitive clause, lesen takes a direct object in the accusative, so you need the masculine accusative pronoun ihn.

Masculine: er → ihn (acc.), ihm (dat.)
Feminine: sie → sie (acc.), ihr (dat.)
Neuter: es → es (acc.), ihm (dat.) So you’d say: Der Text ist zu lang, um ihn …; Die E‑Mail ist zu lang, um sie …; Das Dokument ist zu lang, um es …

What exactly does the um … zu construction do here? Isn’t it “in order to”?

Normally um … zu marks purpose (“in order to”). But with an adjective like zu lang it forms the “too … to …” pattern: zu [Adj], um … zu … = “too [Adj] to ….” So here: “too long to read (it) without a break.” A natural paraphrase is: so lang, dass man ihn nicht ohne Pause lesen kann. A more formal option is: zu lang, als dass man ihn ohne Pause lesen könnte.

Do I have to include ihn? Could I say: “Mein Lebenslauf ist zu lang, um ohne Pause zu lesen.”?

You’ll hear that version, but it sounds generic (“too long to read without a break” in general). Since lesen is transitive here and you’re talking about one specific thing (the CV), native style prefers keeping the object: um ihn … zu lesen. It’s clearer and more idiomatic.

Why is it zu lesen and not zu gelesen?

Infinitive clauses use zu + infinitive: zu lesen. The form gelesen is a past participle used in perfect tenses with an auxiliary: Ich habe ihn gelesen. For separable-prefix verbs, zu goes between prefix and stem: durchlesen → durchzulesen (e.g., … um ihn ohne Pause durchzulesen).

Where do objects and adverbials go inside the um … zu clause? Could I say “um ohne Pause ihn zu lesen”?

Default order puts (short) pronouns before other material: um ihn ohne Pause zu lesen is the most natural. um ohne Pause ihn zu lesen is possible but marked. The zu + verb stays at the end of the infinitive clause: never um ihn zu lesen ohne Pause.

Who is doing the reading in that um … zu clause? Shouldn’t there be a subject like man?

In infinitive clauses the subject is usually understood from context. Here, the main-clause subject (Mein Lebenslauf) can’t be the reader, so German interprets it generically (≈ “one/people”). If you want to make the subject explicit, use a finite clause: so lang, dass man ihn nicht ohne Pause lesen kann or als dass man ihn … lesen könnte.

Why zu lang and not zu lange?

lang is an adjective describing length: Der Text ist zu lang = “The text is too long.” lange is an adverb meaning “for a long time”: Ich habe zu lange gelesen = “I read for too long.” In predicate position with “to be + long,” use lang, not lange.

Why is there a comma before um?

German requires a comma before infinitive groups introduced by certain words, including um, ohne, statt, außer, als. So the comma before um ihn ohne Pause zu lesen is mandatory.

What case does ohne take, and do I need an article in ohne Pause?

ohne always takes the accusative. You can say ohne eine Pause, but it’s very common (and a bit leaner) to omit the article for a generic “without any”: ohne Pause. Alternatives: ohne Unterbrechung, more colloquial am Stück, in einem Rutsch.

Is there a good alternative without the um … zu construction?

Yes:

Mein Lebenslauf ist so lang, dass man ihn nicht ohne Pause lesen kann.
More formal: Mein Lebenslauf ist zu lang, als dass man ihn ohne Pause lesen könnte. They express essentially the same idea; zu … um … sounds a touch more compact.

Can I front the um … zu clause?

Yes: Um ihn ohne Pause zu lesen, ist mein Lebenslauf zu lang. It’s grammatical and can be used for emphasis, though most speakers prefer the original order.

Why is Lebenslauf capitalized?

All nouns are capitalized in German. Lebenslauf is a noun, so it’s written with a capital L.