Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.

We take a short break to rest.

Breakdown of Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.

• nosotros: we
• descansar: to rest
• para: to
• una: a
• corto: short
• hacer: to take
• la pausa: the break

Questions & Answers about Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.

Why is it hacemos and not something like tomamos or tomar un descanso?

In Spanish, both hacer una pausa and tomar un descanso are common and natural. They’re just different collocations:

• Hacer una pausa = literally to make/take a pause
• Tomar un descanso = literally to take a rest/break

In this sentence:

• Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar = We take a short break to rest.

You could also say:

• Tomamos un descanso corto para descansar.
• Hacemos un descanso corto para descansar. (used, but a bit less common than hacer una pausa)

So hacemos is used because hacer una pausa is a very typical expression for “take a break.”

What tense and person is hacemos, and what does it imply?

Hacemos is:

• Verb: hacer (to do/make)
• Person: 1st person plural (we)
• Tense: present indicative

So it literally means “we do / we make.”

In context:

• Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.
  Usually means either:
  • a habitual action: We take a short break (as a routine).
  • or something planned/decided: We (now) take a short break to rest. (like a stage direction or instruction)

In informal spoken Spanish, this present tense can sometimes refer to the immediate future as well, especially when giving instructions or describing what is happening in a sequence.

Why is there no nosotros in the sentence? Can I say Nosotros hacemos una pausa corta para descansar?

Spanish normally leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending shows who the subject is.

• Hacemos already tells you it’s we.

So:

• Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar. = natural and normal
• Nosotros hacemos una pausa corta para descansar. = also correct, but adds emphasis to we.

Using nosotros would sound like:

• We (as opposed to someone else) are the ones taking a short break.

In everyday speech, the version without nosotros is more common unless you want to stress the subject.

Why is it una pausa and not un pausa?

In Spanish, the article (un/una) agrees with the grammatical gender of the noun.

• pausa is grammatically feminine: la pausa
• Therefore, the indefinite article must also be feminine: una pausa

So:

• una pausa (correct)
• un pausa (incorrect)

There’s no logical reason for why it’s feminine; it’s just how the noun is classified in Spanish.

Why is it pausa corta and not corta pausa? Can I put corta before the noun?

By default, most adjectives in Spanish go after the noun:

• una pausa corta = a short break

You can put some adjectives before the noun, but that usually changes the nuance or is more literary.

• una corta pausa is grammatically correct but:
  • sounds more formal, literary, or stylistic
  • places a bit more emphasis on the shortness

In everyday Latin American Spanish, una pausa corta is the most natural, neutral order.

Could I say un corto descanso instead of una pausa corta? Is there a difference between pausa and descanso?

Yes, you can say un corto descanso, and it’s understandable and correct. The difference is mostly nuance:

• pausa:

  • often connected to stopping an ongoing activity (a meeting, a movie, a class)
  • sounds slightly more “formal” or “structured”

• descanso:

  • focuses more on rest and recovery
  • common in work/school contexts: tener un descanso, hora de descanso

Examples:

• Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.
  We interrupt what we’re doing for a moment to rest.

• Tomamos un corto descanso.
  We take a short rest (focus on the resting itself).

Both are fine; pausa corta fits very well when you mean “break in an activity.”

Why is corta feminine and singular? What is it agreeing with?

Adjectives in Spanish agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

Here:

• Noun: pausa → feminine, singular (la pausa)
• Adjective: corta → feminine, singular form of corto

So:

• una pausa corta (fem. sing.)
• unas pausas cortas (fem. plural)
• un descanso corto (masc. sing.)
• unos descansos cortos (masc. plural)

Corta is feminine singular to match pausa.

What does para descansar literally mean, and why is descansar in the infinitive?

Para descansar literally means “in order to rest.”

In Spanish, to express purpose or intention (“to do something in order to…”), the structure is:

• para + infinitive

So:

• Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.
  = We take a short break in order to rest.

Other examples:

• Estudio español para viajar a México.
  I study Spanish (in order) to travel to Mexico.
• Cerré la puerta para dormir.
  I closed the door (in order) to sleep.

Descansar stays in infinitive because it’s the action that is the goal of the main verb (hacemos).

Could I use para que instead of para? What’s the difference between para descansar and para que descansemos?

Yes, you can use para que, but the structure changes:

• para + infinitive = purpose in general, no subject change:

  • Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.
    We take a short break to rest.

• para que + subjunctive = often used when you’re focusing on who will do the second action, especially if the subject changes:

  • Hacemos una pausa corta para que tú descanses.
    We take a short break so that you can rest.
  • Hacemos una pausa corta para que descansemos.
    We take a short break so that we rest.

Both are correct when the subject is the same, but:

• para descansar is simpler and more common here.
• para que descansemos sounds a bit more formal or emphatic about the result (so that we get some rest).

Why not por descansar instead of para descansar?

Por and para are not interchangeable here.

• para + infinitive = purpose, goal: in order to

  • Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.
    We take a short break in order to rest.

• por + infinitive is rare and tends to sound unnatural; usually, por is used with nouns/pronouns or indicates cause, not purpose:

  • Lo hice por ti. = I did it because of you / for you.
  • Lo castigaron por llegar tarde. = They punished him for arriving late. (cause)

If you said Hacemos una pausa corta por descansar, it would sound wrong or at least very odd to native ears. For “in order to…,” always use para + infinitive.

What would Hagamos una pausa corta para descansar mean? How is that different from Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar?

• Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.
  Present indicative → statement of fact or plan:
  We take / we are taking a short break to rest.

• Hagamos una pausa corta para descansar.
  First‑person plural imperative (subjunctive used as a command) → suggestion/invitation:
  Let’s take a short break to rest.

So:

• Hacemos = describing what we do.
• Hagamos = proposing what we should do (Let’s…).

Could I just say Descansamos instead of the whole sentence? What would that mean?

Descansamos by itself means “We rest” or “We are resting.”

You could use it as a very short instruction, like in a sports class or rehearsal:

• Teacher: Descansamos.
  Meaning: Let’s rest / We’re resting now.

But it doesn’t explicitly mention a break and it doesn’t include short.
Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar:

• makes the idea of a break explicit
• says it’s short
• clarifies the purpose (to rest)

So Descansamos is shorter, more generic, and context-dependent.

Is it okay to say this without the article, like Hacemos pausa corta para descansar?

In standard Spanish, you normally need the article here:

• Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar. ✔️ natural
• Hacemos pausa corta para descansar. ❌ sounds wrong or at least very odd

With countable singular nouns like pausa, you usually use:

• una pausa, la pausa, esta pausa, etc.

Leaving out the article is not standard in this case (unlike some fixed expressions with other nouns, e.g., a clase, a casa). So keep una.