Durante la videollamada hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.

During the video call we take a short break to rest.

Breakdown of Durante la videollamada hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.

• una: a
• para: to
• hacer: to make
• nosotros: we
• descansar: to rest
• corto: short
• durante: during
• la videollamada: the video call
• la pausa: the pause

Questions & Answers about Durante la videollamada hacemos una pausa corta para descansar.

Why is durante used here instead of mientras?

In Spanish, durante is a preposition and must be followed by a noun, while mientras is a conjunction and must be followed by a verb (a clause).

• durante + noun

  • Durante la videollamada hacemos una pausa corta…
  • During the video call we take a short break…

• mientras + verb

  • Mientras hacemos la videollamada, hacemos una pausa corta…
  • While we are having the video call, we take a short break…

So in your sentence, because it’s followed by the noun la videollamada, durante is the correct choice, not mientras.

Can I say En la videollamada hacemos una pausa corta instead of Durante la videollamada?

You could say En la videollamada hacemos una pausa corta, and it would be understandable, but the nuance changes slightly:

• Durante la videollamada focuses on the time period: at some point during the call, we take a break.
• En la videollamada sounds more like in the context of the call / as part of the call, and is less natural if you want to emphasise “at some point during it”.

For the idea of “at some point during the call”, durante la videollamada is the most natural and precise choice.

Why is it la videollamada and not una videollamada?

Spanish uses definite and indefinite articles in a similar way to English, but context matters a lot.

• la videollamada = the video call → a specific one that both speaker and listener know about (for example, a planned work call).
• una videollamada = a video call → any video call, non‑specific.

In your sentence, the speaker is probably talking about a particular, known call (for example, “During the video call (we’ve scheduled), we take a short break…”), so la sounds natural.

If you were speaking more generally, you might say:

• Durante una videollamada es buena idea hacer una pausa corta.
  During a video call it’s a good idea to take a short break.

Is videollamada really one word? Could it be written as two words?

Modern standard Spanish writes it as one word: videollamada.

• Old or less standard forms you might see: video llamada, video-llamada.
• The form recommended by language authorities and commonly used in Spain now is videollamada (one word, no hyphen).

So Durante la videollamada… is the current standard spelling.

Why is the verb hacemos (we do/make) used with una pausa? Could I say tomamos un descanso instead?

Both are possible, but they’re different collocations (typical word combinations):

• hacer una pausa = to take/make a (short) pause
• tomar un descanso = to take a rest

In your sentence:

• hacemos una pausa corta sounds very natural in Spain for a brief, practical break during an activity (a meeting, a call, a lesson).
• tomamos un descanso corto would also be understood, but when talking about a brief stop in an ongoing activity like a videoconference, hacer una pausa is more idiomatic.

A very natural alternative would be:

• Durante la videollamada hacemos una pausa corta para descansar. ✅
• Durante la videollamada hacemos una pausa corta para tomar un descanso. (redundant: “to take a break to take a rest”) ❌/awkward.

Why is hacemos in the present tense if this could be about a future or planned event?

Spanish uses the present tense more widely than English:

1. Habitual actions / routines

   • Durante la videollamada hacemos una pausa corta…
     This can mean Whenever we have that kind of video call, we take a short break…

2. Scheduled future events (often with context)

   • Mañana, durante la videollamada hacemos una pausa corta.
     Tomorrow, during the video call, we’ll take a short break.

In contexts like meetings, classes, or calls, Spanish speakers often use the present for things that are planned or typical, where English might use “we will” or “we usually”.

Why is it una pausa corta and not una corta pausa?

Both are grammatically possible, but they don’t sound the same:

• una pausa corta = the neutral, normal order: noun + adjective.
  
  • This simply describes the pause: a short pause.
• una corta pausa = adjective before the noun, which in Spanish tends to sound more literary, emphatic, or stylistic.
  
  • It can work in more “elevated” or written style, but in everyday speech una pausa corta is more natural.

So for normal conversation in Spain, you usually say:

• una pausa corta, una reunión larga, un café rápido, etc.

What is the function of para descansar here?

Para + infinitive usually expresses purpose (“in order to / to do something”).

• para descansar = in order to rest / to rest

So the structure is:

• hacemos una pausa corta → main action (we take a short break)
• para descansar → purpose (why we take it: to rest)

This pattern is very common in Spanish:

• Estudio español para viajar a España.
• Trabajo mucho para ganar dinero.

Why is it descansar and not descansarnos or descansar(se)?

Descansar is normally intransitive and non‑reflexive when it just means “to rest”:

• Necesito descansar. = I need to rest.
• Paramos para descansar. = We stop to rest.

There is a reflexive form descansarse, but it’s much less common and often sounds dialectal or old‑fashioned in many contexts. In standard Peninsular Spanish, people mostly use descansar (non‑reflexive) for this meaning.

So:

• para descansar ✅ (most natural)
• para descansarnos ❌/sounds odd here in Spain.

What’s the difference between descansar and relajarse?

They overlap but are not identical:

• descansar = to rest, to stop an activity to recover energy.

  • Focus: physical or mental recovery.
  • Hacemos una pausa corta para descansar. (We’re stopping for a bit to recover.)

• relajarse = to relax, to reduce stress or tension.

  • Focus: feeling less tense or more at ease.
  • Hacemos una pausa corta para relajarnos. (We’re stopping to chill / unwind.)

In the context of a short break in a videoconference, para descansar is very natural. You could also say para estirar las piernas (to stretch our legs) or para despejarnos (to clear our heads).

Could I replace pausa corta with something like breve descanso? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can use synonyms, with very small differences in nuance:

• una pausa corta = a short pause
• un breve descanso = a brief rest
• una breve pausa = a brief pause

All would be understood in this context. Minor nuances:

• pausa sounds a bit more like stopping the activity itself.
• descanso highlights the resting part.
• breve is a slightly more formal word than corto.

Examples:

• Durante la videollamada hacemos un breve descanso para descansar. ✅
• Durante la videollamada hacemos una breve pausa para descansar. ✅

Your original una pausa corta is very natural and neutral.

Is there another natural way to say this in Spain, using a different verb instead of hacer una pausa?

Yes, several alternatives are common and natural:

• Durante la videollamada paramos un momento para descansar.
  (We stop for a moment to rest.)

• Durante la videollamada hacemos un pequeño descanso.
  (We take a little break during the video call.)

• Durante la videollamada interrumpimos un rato para descansar.
  (We interrupt it for a bit to rest. — a bit stronger)

Of these, hacemos una pausa and paramos un momento are among the most common, everyday choices in Spain.

How do you pronounce videollamada and where is the stress?

Videollamada is pronounced approximately: vee-deh-oh-ya-MA-da.

• vi → like vee in vehicle
• deo → deh-oh (two syllables)
• lla → ya (in most of Spain, ll sounds like English y in yes)
• ma → ma
• da → tha in much of Spain (like English th in this), or da in Latin America

The stress falls on -MA-: videollaMA da.