Pausar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb pausar means to pause, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, pausar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono, and in the preterite you say pausé el juego cuando llega la visita. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: pausar
- English: to pause
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: pausando
- Past participle: pausado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + pausado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pausar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Pausar is a pause, not a full stop: pauso el vídeo means it will continue later. For a complete stop, use parar.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for pausar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pauso |
| tú | pausas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pausa |
| nosotros/as | pausamos |
| vosotros/as | pausáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pausan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pausé |
| tú | pausaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | pausó |
| nosotros/as | pausamos |
| vosotros/as | pausasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pausaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pausaba |
| tú | pausabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pausaba |
| nosotros/as | pausábamos |
| vosotros/as | pausabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pausaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pausaré |
| tú | pausarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | pausará |
| nosotros/as | pausaremos |
| vosotros/as | pausaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pausarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pausaría |
| tú | pausarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | pausaría |
| nosotros/as | pausaríamos |
| vosotros/as | pausaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pausarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he pausado |
| tú | has pausado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha pausado |
| nosotros/as | hemos pausado |
| vosotros/as | habéis pausado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han pausado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había pausado |
| tú | habías pausado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había pausado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos pausado |
| vosotros/as | habíais pausado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían pausado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré pausado |
| tú | habrás pausado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá pausado |
| nosotros/as | habremos pausado |
| vosotros/as | habréis pausado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán pausado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría pausado |
| tú | habrías pausado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría pausado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos pausado |
| vosotros/as | habríais pausado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían pausado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pause |
| tú | pauses |
| él/ella/Ud. | pause |
| nosotros/as | pausemos |
| vosotros/as | pauséis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pausen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pausara |
| tú | pausaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | pausara |
| nosotros/as | pausáramos |
| vosotros/as | pausarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pausaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pausa |
| él/ella/Ud. | pause |
| nosotros/as | pausemos |
| vosotros/as | pausad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pausen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pauses |
| él/ella/Ud. | pause |
| nosotros/as | pausemos |
| vosotros/as | pauséis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pausen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | pausando | with estar for the progressive: estoy pausando |
| Past participle | pausado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he pausado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, pausé la música durante la cena. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, pausaba el juego cuando llega la visita. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, pausaré el trabajo para tomar un café. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Pausaría el vídeo para contestar el teléfono si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he pausado la música durante la cena. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había pausado el juego cuando llega la visita antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré pausado el trabajo para tomar un café. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría pausado el vídeo para contestar el teléfono con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él pause la música durante la cena. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él pausara el juego cuando llega la visita, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Pausa el trabajo para tomar un café! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pausar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No pauses el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with pausar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. — I pause the video to answer the phone.
- Pausa la música durante la cena. — He/she pauses the music during dinner.
- Ayer, pausé el juego cuando llega la visita. — Yesterday, I paused the game when the visitor arrives.
- Antes, nosotros pausábamos el trabajo para tomar un café. — Before, we used to pause work to have a coffee.
- Mañana, tú pausarás el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. — Tomorrow, you will pause the video to answer the phone.
- Yo pausaría la música durante la cena si tuviera más tiempo. — I would pause the music during dinner if I had more time.
- Él ha pausado el juego cuando llega la visita. — He has paused the game when the visitor arrives.
- Espero que él pause el trabajo para tomar un café. — I hope he pauses work to have a coffee.
- 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.
- Ellos pausaban la música durante la cena cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to pause the music during dinner when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo pausa el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Ayer yo pauso la música durante la cena. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Treating pausar and parar as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Yo soy pausado la música durante la cena. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: De niño, yo pausé el juego cuando llega la visita todos los días. — Right: 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: test yourself
Ten questions on pausar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. (present tense) A. pauso B. pausas C. pausa D. pausamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la música durante la cena. (preterite) A. pausé B. pausaste C. pausaron D. pausó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el juego cuando llega la visita. (imperfect) A. pausabas B. pausaban C. pausábamos D. pausaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el trabajo para tomar un café. (future) A. pausaremos B. pausarás C. pausaré D. pausará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el vídeo para contestar el teléfono si pudiera. (conditional) A. pausaría B. pausarías C. pausarían D. pauso
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la música durante la cena. (present subjunctive) A. pauses B. pausemos C. pauso D. pause
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el juego cuando llega la visita, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. pausáramos B. pauso C. pausara D. pausaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el trabajo para tomar un café. (present perfect) A. han pausado B. hemos pausado C. he pausado D. has pausado
Complete the command: ¡___ el vídeo para contestar el teléfono! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. pausa B. pause C. pausemos D. pausad
Which is the gerund of pausar, used with estar for the progressive? A. pausado B. pauso C. pausé D. pausando
Answer key
- pauso — The first-person present of pausar is pauso. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- pausó — The third-person preterite of pausar is pausó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- pausábamos — The nosotros imperfect of pausar is pausábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- pausarás — The second-person future of pausar is pausarás.
- pausaría — The first-person conditional of pausar is pausaría, the form for what would happen.
- pause — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of pausar is pause.
- pausara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of pausar is pausara.
- hemos pausado — The nosotros present perfect of pausar is hemos pausado: hemos + pausado.
- pausa — The affirmative tú imperative of pausar is pausa.
- pausando — The gerund of pausar is pausando: estoy pausando. The participle pausado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does pausar mean in English?
Pausar means to pause. It is used in everyday situations such as Pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is pausar regular or irregular?
Pausar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including pauso in the present and pausé in the preterite.
What is the difference between pausar and parar?
Pausar means to pause, while parar means to stop completely. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use pausar when you mean to pause, as in Pauso el vídeo para contestar el teléfono, and use parar for to stop completely. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I pause” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo pausé la música durante la cena. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo pausaba el juego cuando llega la visita. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he pausado la música durante la cena.
How do I practise pausar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the pausar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Pausar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for pausar.
- Pausar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for pausar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Escanear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pausar.
- Legislar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pausar.
- Reiniciar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pausar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.