Пауза в беседе длится слишком долго.

The pause in the conversation lasts too long.

Breakdown of Пауза в беседе длится слишком долго.

• в: in
• слишком: too
• долго: long
• длиться: to last

Questions & Answers about Пауза в беседе длится слишком долго.

What case is беседе in, and why is в беседе used here?

беседа is a feminine noun. When you use the preposition в to indicate location ("in something"), you put the noun into the Prepositional case. The singular Prepositional form of беседа is беседе, so в беседе literally means “in the conversation.”

What does the verb длится mean, and why is it used instead of something like продолжается?

длиться means “to last,” “to take (time),” or “to continue in time.”

• длится is the 3rd person singular present form (it lasts).
• You could replace it with продолжается (“it continues”), but длиться focuses more on the duration (“how long it lasts”), whereas продолжаться is slightly more formal and neutral.

Why is it долго and not долгой?

• долго is an adverb meaning “for a long time” or “long.”
• долгой is an adjective meaning “long” (describing a noun).
  Here we modify the verb длится, so we need the adverb долго, not the adjective долгой.

What is the role of слишком in this sentence?