Breaks and working time

Pause und Arbeitszeit

Ask when a break is, give its starting time and duration, and say that you continue working afterwards.

Wann ist Pause? asks when the break is. Ich mache um zehn Pause gives a starting time: ten o’clock. Die Pause dauert dreißig Minuten gives a duration: thirty minutes. Danach arbeite ich weiter says what happens after the break.

Separate when from how long: um zehn is a clock time; dreißig Minuten is a duration. After danach, keep the verb before ich: Danach arbeite ich weiter. Weiter goes at the end of this short statement.

Ask a colleague Wann ist Pause? when you need the break time. The duration sentence alone does not tell you when the break starts. The examples describe an imaginary schedule, not a universal or legal entitlement.

For the ordinary direct question use Wann ist Pause?, with ist after wann. Wann Pause ist has the order used inside an indirect question, so it is not a generally forbidden word sequence; it does not match the direct-question task.

Wann? asks when. Um zehn answers with a time. Dauert dreißig Minuten answers how long. Danach connects the next activity to the break already mentioned.

Say the question, the starting time, the duration and the next activity without looking. Check dreißig means thirty, not thirteen, and that arbeite matches ich.