Esperar - to wait
I just read through several forums on the topic of esperar to mean to wait, to hope, to expect. I'm still a little confused.
I want to say:
I waiting for your photo last night.
My thought process was if it means to wait, then there's no que or anything after esperar.
"Espere tu foto a noche."
But wouldn't that reasoning also apply if I were saying "I expected your photo last night." ??
3 Answers
Expecting and waiting are the same in some contexts in English. The more you practice Spanish, the more easily you will be able to tell the difference.
I waiting for your photo last night.
Anna I'm not sure if there's a typo here or it wasn't quite what you wanted to say as it doesn't actually make sense in English?
Maybe you meant something like - I was waiting for your 'phone call' last night?
Esperaba tu llamada anoche.
Here's a few more examples using esperar: some meaning to wait and some to hope:
Hay que esperar la señal.
It is necessary to wait for the signal.
Yo espero que María estudie.
I hope that Mary is studying.
¿Cuánto tiempo eperó usted el autobús?
How long did you wait for the bus?
Esperé el autobús mucho tiempo.
I waited for the bus a long time.
Él espera comprar la casa.
He hopes to buy the house.
Hi, Anna, I understand your confusion. Some of it is that there may not be the exact distinction in Spanish between waiting and expecting. However, you may find it interesting that "aguardar" is another option for the concept of waiting. So, for example, if you want to be clear that you are waiting for Paco, you can say "Aguardo a Paco" or "Estoy aguardando a Paco." If, on the other hand, you want to convey the feeling that you are expecting Paco, you can say "Espero a Paco" or "Estoy esperando a Paco".
My impression is that in Mexico, at least where we hang out, "aguardar" is used in the sense of waiting, and "esperar" is more of a feeling of expectation.
Maybe this has helped; I hope it has not confused!
