Pausar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

pausar means “to pause” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Pausar means to pause, and it is used for pausing a video, a song, a game or a task. It is a short, fully regular verb that belongs to everyday technology and work life, and it is the natural opposite of reanudar, to resume. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of pausar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the pausar present tense page.

pausar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. — “I pause the video to answer the phone.”
  2. Él pausa la música durante la cena. — “He pauses the music during dinner.”
  3. Nosotros pausamos el juego cuando llega la visita. — “We pause the game when the visitor arrives.”
  4. Ellos pausan el trabajo para tomar un café. — “They pause work to have a coffee.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo pausé la música durante la cena. — “Yesterday, I paused the music during dinner.”
  2. Antes, nosotros pausábamos el juego cuando llega la visita. — “Before, we used to pause the game when the visitor arrives.”
  3. Él pausó el trabajo para tomar un café. — “He paused work to have a coffee.”
  4. Yo ya había pausado el vídeo para contestar el teléfono antes de salir. — “I had already paused the video to answer the phone before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú pausarás el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. — “Tomorrow, you will pause the video to answer the phone.”
  2. Yo pausaría la música durante la cena si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would pause the music during dinner if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha pausado el juego cuando llega la visita. — “He has paused the game when the visitor arrives.”
  4. Espero que él pause el trabajo para tomar un café. — “I hope he pauses work to have a coffee.”

pausar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use pausar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. — “I pause the video to answer the phone.”
  • Bea: Él pausa la música durante la cena. — “He pauses the music during dinner.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo pausé la música durante la cena. — “Yesterday, I paused the music during dinner.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú pausarás el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. — “Tomorrow, you will pause the video to answer the phone.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros pausamos el juego cuando llega la visita. — “We pause the game when the visitor arrives.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros pausábamos el juego cuando llega la visita. — “Before, we used to pause the game when the visitor arrives.”
  • Luis: Yo pausaría la música durante la cena si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would pause the music during dinner if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él pause el trabajo para tomar un café. — “I hope he pauses work to have a coffee.”

A short scene with pausar

A short scene shows how pausar works across the day. In the morning: Pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. In the afternoon: Pausa la música durante la cena. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, pausé el juego cuando llega la visita. And tomorrow: Mañana, pausaré el trabajo para tomar un café. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how pausar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with pausar

The errors learners actually make with pausar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo pausa el vídeo para contestar el teléfono.

✓ Correct: Yo pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono.

The person matters: pausa is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is pauso. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo pauso la música durante la cena.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo pausé la música durante la cena.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: pauso is happening now, while pausé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating pausar and parar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Pausar means to pause, while parar means to stop completely.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: pausar fits sentences such as Pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono, while parar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy pausado la música durante la cena.

✓ Correct: Yo he pausado la música durante la cena.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he pausado, has pausado, ha pausado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo pausé el juego cuando llega la visita todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo pausaba el juego cuando llega la visita todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (pausaba), not the preterite. The preterite (pausé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: pausar in use

Ten questions on pausar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la música durante la cena. — “He/she pauses the music during dinner.”

  • a) pausa
  • b) pauso
  • c) pausas
  • d) pausamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el juego cuando llega la visita. — “Yesterday, I paused the game when the visitor arrives.”

  • a) pausaste
  • b) pausó
  • c) pausaron
  • d) pausé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el trabajo para tomar un café cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to pause work to have a coffee when they were young.”

  • a) pausabas
  • b) pausábamos
  • c) pausaban
  • d) pausaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. — “Tomorrow, we will pause the video to answer the phone.”

  • a) pausarán
  • b) pausaremos
  • c) pausaré
  • d) pausarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la música durante la cena si pudiera. — “He would pause the music during dinner if he could.”

  • a) pausaría
  • b) pausarías
  • c) pausaríamos
  • d) pauso

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el juego cuando llega la visita. — “I have paused the game when the visitor arrives.”

  • a) has pausado
  • b) ha pausado
  • c) han pausado
  • d) he pausado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ el trabajo para tomar un café. — “I hope you pause work to have a coffee.”

  • a) pausemos
  • b) pauso
  • c) pauses
  • d) pause

8. Which is the past participle of pausar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) pausé
  • b) pausado
  • c) pausando
  • d) pauso

9. What does pausar mean in English?

  • a) to pause
  • b) to stop completely
  • c) to legislate
  • d) to dismiss from office

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él pausa la música durante la cena.
  • b) Él pauso la música durante la cena.
  • c) Nosotros pausa el juego cuando llega la visita.
  • d) Yo pausa el vídeo para contestar el teléfono.

Answer key

  1. a) pausa — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: pausa.

  2. d) pausé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: pausé, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) pausaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: pausaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) pausaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: pausaremos.

  5. a) pausaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: pausaría.

  6. d) he pausado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he pausado, haber + pausado.

  7. c) pauses — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is pauses.

  8. b) pausado — The past participle is pausado: he pausado, has pausado, ha pausado. The gerund pausando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to pause — pausar means to pause. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él pausa la música durante la cena. — Él pausa la música durante la cena. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use pausar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono and Pausa la música durante la cena. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between pausar and parar?

Pausar means “to pause”, while parar means “to stop completely”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use pausar when you mean “to pause” and parar when you mean “to stop completely”.

Which tense do I need most with pausar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use pausar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is pausar formal or informal?

Pausar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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