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"Hold on" is an intransitive verb phrase which is often translated as "aguantar", and "wait" is an intransitive verb which is often translated as "esperar". Learn more about the difference between "hold on" and "wait" below.
hold on(
hold
an
)An intransitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and does not require a direct object (e.g., Everybody please stand up.).
1. (to resist)
a. aguantar
Just hold on for five minutes and I'll take you to the bathroom.Sólo aguántame cinco minutos y te llevaré al baño.
b. resistir
If you can hold on for a few more days, we'll finish this contract and then we can take a vacation.Si puedes resistir unos días más, terminaremos este contrato y luego podemos tomarnos unas vacaciones.
2. (to wait)
a. esperar
Can Mara come to the phone? - Hold on while I go get her.¿Podrá atenderme Mara en el teléfono? - Espera mientras voy por ella.
3. (to grasp)
a. aferrarse
They held on tight to the safety bar on the roller coaster.Se aferraron con fuerza a la barra de seguridad en la montaña rusa.
b. agarrarse
When he realized he was getting dizzy, the old man held on to the handrail.Cuando se dio cuenta de que se mareaba, el anciano se agarró al pasamanos.
An interjection is a short utterance that expresses emotion, hesitation, or protest (e.g., Wow!).
a. un momento
I want to leave now. - Hold on! I'm not ready to go yet.Ya me quiero ir. - ¡Un momento! Yo no me quiero ir todavía.
wait(
weyt
)An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
1. (to hold on)
a. esperar
I'm waiting for him to get out of his meeting so we can eat.Estoy esperando que salga de su reunión para que podamos comer.
A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
3. (delay)
a. la espera (F)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
Bowling is fun but the wait to get a lane is unbearable.Los bolos son divertidos, pero la espera para conseguir una pista es insoportable.
An interjection is a short utterance that expresses emotion, hesitation, or protest (e.g., Wow!).
b. un momento
Wait, are you two siblings? I had no idea!Un momento, ¿ustedes son hermanos? ¡No sabía!
