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Lavori troppo, dovresti fare una pausa.

Lavori troppo, dovresti fare una pausa.
You work too much, you should take a break.
From Lesson 117:Giving advice (potresti, dovresti)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Lavori troppo, dovresti fare una pausa.

Why do we use dovresti here instead of the regular present tense devi?
The regular present tense devi means 'you must' or 'you have to', which sounds like a strong command. By using the conditional form dovresti, the meaning softens to 'you should'. It is the standard way to give friendly advice in Italian.
Why is it fare una pausa? Doesn't fare mean 'to make' or 'to do'?
Yes, fare literally means 'to do' or 'to make'. While in English you 'take' a break, Italians 'make' a break. Fare una pausa is a fixed phrase, similar to how Italians say fare una foto (to take a photo) or fare una doccia (to take a shower).
Why doesn't troppo change its ending here?
In this sentence, troppo is an adverb meaning 'too much' because it describes the verb lavori (you work). Adverbs never change their endings. Troppo only changes its ending to match a noun when it's acting as an adjective, like in troppo lavoro (too much work) or troppe pause (too many breaks).
Why is fare left in the infinitive form rather than being conjugated?
Dovere is a modal verb (a helper verb). In Italian, just like in English, when you use a modal verb, the main verb that immediately follows it stays in the infinitive (dictionary) form. It's 'you should take' (dovresti fare), not 'you should you take'.

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