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"Esperar" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "to wait for", and "confiar" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "to confide". Learn more about the difference between "esperar" and "confiar" below.
esperar(
ehs
-
peh
-
rahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
1. (to await)
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
4. (to stay)
b. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
A ver, espera. No hace falta ser tan severo con ellos.Hold on a minute. There's no need to be so harsh with them.
Esperen un momento. Llamo a alguien que los atienda.Wait a moment. I'll get someone to come and help you.
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Esperemos a leer el informe antes de decidir qué hacer.Let's wait until we read the report before deciding what to do.
Espera a que nos llamen.Wait for them to call us.
esperarse
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
a. to hold on (emphatic)
Espérate, ¿no se suponía que ibas a estar fuera un par de semanas?Hold on, weren't you supposed to be gone for a couple of weeks?
a. to expect
Se esperan cortes en el suministro de agua esta noche.Disruptions to the water supply are expected tonight.
confiar(
kohm
-
fyahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
1. (to tell)
a. to entrust with
Le confiaron la dirección de la compañía.They entrusted him with the management of the company.
b. to put in charge of
Estamos buscando a una empresa en quien confiar la realización del proyecto.We're looking for a company to put in charge of the project.
c. to trust
Muchos jubilados cometieron el error de confiar sus ahorros a esa empresa que ayer quebró.Many pensioners made the mistake of trusting their savings to that company that went under yesterday.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
b. to be confident
Confío en que van a hacer bien el trabajo.I'm confident that they'll do the job well.
confiarse
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
a. to be overconfident
No te confíes; este es el primer examen y quedan dos más por aprobar.Don't be overconfident; this is the first exam and there are two more to go.
b. to be too sure of oneself
Andrea tiene posibilidades de ganar, pero no debería confiarse demasiado.Andrea has chances of winning, but she shouldn't be too sure of herself.
