Confusion with "que"

Question

In the sentence: " Estoy esperando a que mi mamá regrese"

What does the "a que" portion serve as? What does it mean? I kind of understand the 'a', but I do not understand why there is 'que'. How do you know to use it?

Answer 1

The word "que" means that. So your basically saying: "I am hoping that my mom will return."

Hoping conveys waiting? Well, okay. Thanks for the explanation. - xktrvfs, Jun 8, 2012

'Esperando' most likely means 'waiting' here... :) - NikkiLR, Jun 9, 2012

Answer 2

In the dictionary you can see: esperar a que alguien haga algo -> to wait for somebody to do something

That's just the way it is used. You must memorize it. Like why do we say "look forward to doing something"!!!! Why should we use the verb in gerund form after first verb and after to ?!?!

According to the dictionary and what I have learned, esperar in that sentence means "to wait" not "to hope".

Answer 3

"Que" does usually mean "that", but in this sentence, I would say a better translation would be "I am waiting until or for when my mom (may) get back." The may is for the subjunctive, as it shows that this is something that is not 100% certain (the speaker is not sure exactly when Mom is coming home). It's in parentheses to show that it's just there to remind you; it would probably not be a necessary part of the translation.