ununterbrochen
uninterrupted
Without a pause or interruption; continuous and ongoing.
EXAMPLE
Er hat zehn Stunden ununterbrochen gearbeitet, um das Projekt fertigzustellen.
He worked uninterrupted for ten hours to finish the project.
ununterbrochen
uninterrupted
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is made up of the prefix 'un-' and 'unterbrochen' (interrupted), the past participle of 'unterbrechen' (to interrupt). The prefix 'un-' negates the word, so 'ununterbrochen' literally means 'not interrupted'.
EXAMPLE
Der Lärm von der Baustelle war ununterbrochen zu hören.
The noise from the construction site could be heard uninterrupted.
Adjective and adverb
'Ununterbrochen' can stand before a noun as an adjective or function as an adverb describing a verb. As an adjective it is declined; as an adverb it remains unchanged.
EXAMPLE
Nach drei Stunden ununterbrochener Fahrt machten wir eine Pause.
After three hours of uninterrupted driving, we took a break.
Typical collocations
The word is often used to describe continuous actions or states. Typical combinations are 'ununterbrochen reden' (to talk uninterruptedly), 'ununterbrochen arbeiten' (to work uninterruptedly), as well as 'ununterbrochener Regen' (uninterrupted rain) and 'ununterbrochener Applaus' (uninterrupted applause).
EXAMPLE
Sie redete zwei Stunden lang ununterbrochen über ihre Reise.
She talked uninterrupted for two hours about her trip.
Compare with
ununterbrochen vs ständig
constant
Ständig and ununterbrochen can both express that something happens repeatedly or continuously over a longer period. Ständig can also refer to frequent repetitions with pauses, whereas ununterbrochen rules out every pause. Use ununterbrochen when uninterrupted duration is explicitly important.
ununterbrochen
Im Wartezimmer klingelt ununterbrochen ein Telefon, sodass keine Ruhe entsteht.
A phone rings continuously in the waiting room, so there is no peace and quiet.
ständig
Im Wartezimmer klingelt ständig ein Telefon, aber zwischen den Anrufen ist es kurz ruhig.
A phone keeps ringing in the waiting room, but it is quiet for a short while between calls.
In real life
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