Aguardar vs Esperar.

Question

Hi friends,

Is there any difference between these two verbs,, or can they both be used exactly interchangeably.. ??

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jimmy.

Good morning Jimmy. Try this link in Word Reference http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=aguardar - sanlee, Dec 5, 2014

Check the Collins reference there too :) - sanlee, Dec 5, 2014

Hi Sandy, thanks for the link , but I have already been through it and am still obfuscated. - Joydeep_Singh, Dec 5, 2014

I know what you mean, Jimmy. We need an answer. - sanlee, Dec 5, 2014

You have probably seen this one too. http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=145563 - sanlee, Dec 5, 2014

No Sandy, not this one, but I just read it out and there doesn't seem any clear explanation ,, but thanks for the help, may be a native can explain us better, if one cares to stop by, hehe - Joydeep_Singh, Dec 5, 2014

I am sure someone will eventually. - sanlee, Dec 5, 2014

let's hope :) - Joydeep_Singh, Dec 5, 2014

Oh for suree! - sanlee, Dec 5, 2014

Answer 1

In many cases they can be used the same or at least similarly; however, they are not completely interchangeable.

In terms of syntax, each verb allows for different constructions depending on the meaning (i.e. intransitive vs transitive usage; different prepositional modifiers; etc). For more on these differences, you might try consulting the entries for each verb in the Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas on the RAE.es website.

In terms of semantics, it can be said that the verb esperar can be more intimately tied to the idea of la esperanza. This added nuance allows the verb esperar to bind together more tightly the ideas of waiting or expecting with the idea of hope or strong desire. This tiny little wrinkle becomes much more accentuated when dealing with contexts related to Western religion. It might be said, in these cases, that aguardar is simply the act of waiting, something that is done; whereas, esperar requires the virtue of faith or hope, or as someone more eloquent once put it, "Se aguarda al que ha de venir; se espera lo que nadie puede saber, en el porvenir, en Dios."

I think I understand the nuance you quite eloquently explained ... but i didn't quite understand the phrase "se aguarda al que ha de venir" ... I know "haber de" means to have to (like tener que) - Joydeep_Singh, Dec 7, 2014