Wait, hope or expect?
Esperar covers all three: espero el autobús (I'm waiting for the bus, no "for" needed), espero que te guste (I hope you like it, + subjunctive) and no esperaba verte (I didn't expect to see you). And ¡espera! = wait!
Indicative tenses of esperar
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | esperoI wait |
|---|---|
| tú | esperasyou wait |
| él/ella/usted | esperahe/she waits |
| nosotros/as | esperamoswe wait |
| vosotros/as | esperáisyou all wait |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | esperanthey wait |
Espero que + subjunctive = I hope that: espero que vengas.
Preterite indicative
| yo | esperéI waited |
|---|---|
| tú | esperasteyou waited |
| él/ella/usted | esperóhe/she waited |
| nosotros/as | esperamoswe waited |
| vosotros/as | esperasteisyou all waited |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | esperaronthey waited |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | esperabaI used to wait |
|---|---|
| tú | esperabasyou used to wait |
| él/ella/usted | esperabahe/she used to wait |
| nosotros/as | esperábamoswe used to wait |
| vosotros/as | esperabaisyou all used to wait |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | esperabanthey used to wait |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy esperandoI am waiting |
|---|---|
| tú | estás esperandoyou are waiting |
| él/ella/usted | está esperandohe/she is waiting |
| nosotros/as | estamos esperandowe are waiting |
| vosotros/as | estáis esperandoyou all are waiting |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están esperandothey are waiting |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a esperarI am going to wait |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a esperaryou are going to wait |
| él/ella/usted | va a esperarhe/she is going to wait |
| nosotros/as | vamos a esperarwe are going to wait |
| vosotros/as | vais a esperaryou all are going to wait |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a esperarthey are going to wait |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | esperaréI will wait |
|---|---|
| tú | esperarásyou will wait |
| él/ella/usted | esperaráhe/she will wait |
| nosotros/as | esperaremoswe will wait |
| vosotros/as | esperaréisyou all will wait |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | esperaránthey will wait |
Conditional indicative
| yo | esperaríaI would wait |
|---|---|
| tú | esperaríasyou would wait |
| él/ella/usted | esperaríahe/she would wait |
| nosotros/as | esperaríamoswe would wait |
| vosotros/as | esperaríaisyou all would wait |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | esperaríanthey would wait |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he esperadoI have waited |
|---|---|
| tú | has esperadoyou have waited |
| él/ella/usted | ha esperadohe/she has waited |
| nosotros/as | hemos esperadowe have waited |
| vosotros/as | habéis esperadoyou all have waited |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han esperadothey have waited |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había esperadoI had waited |
|---|---|
| tú | habías esperadoyou had waited |
| él/ella/usted | había esperadohe/she had waited |
| nosotros/as | habíamos esperadowe had waited |
| vosotros/as | habíais esperadoyou all had waited |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían esperadothey had waited |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré esperadoI will have waited |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás esperadoyou will have waited |
| él/ella/usted | habrá esperadohe/she will have waited |
| nosotros/as | habremos esperadowe will have waited |
| vosotros/as | habréis esperadoyou all will have waited |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán esperadothey will have waited |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría esperadoI would have waited |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías esperadoyou would have waited |
| él/ella/usted | habría esperadohe/she would have waited |
| nosotros/as | habríamos esperadowe would have waited |
| vosotros/as | habríais esperadoyou all would have waited |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían esperadothey would have waited |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of esperar
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | espere(that) I wait |
|---|---|
| tú | esperes(that) you wait |
| él/ella/usted | espere(that) he/she waits |
| nosotros/as | esperemos(that) we wait |
| vosotros/as | esperéis(that) you all wait |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | esperen(that) they wait |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | esperara(if) I waited |
|---|---|
| tú | esperaras(if) you waited |
| él/ella/usted | esperara(if) he/she waited |
| nosotros/as | esperáramos(if) we waited |
| vosotros/as | esperarais(if) you all waited |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | esperaran(if) they waited |
Future subjunctive
| yo | esperare(if) I wait |
|---|---|
| tú | esperares(if) you wait |
| él/ella/usted | esperare(if) he/she waits |
| nosotros/as | esperáremos(if) we wait |
| vosotros/as | esperareis(if) you all wait |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | esperaren(if) they wait |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya esperado(that) I have waited |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas esperado(that) you have waited |
| él/ella/usted | haya esperado(that) he/she has waited |
| nosotros/as | hayamos esperado(that) we have waited |
| vosotros/as | hayáis esperado(that) you all have waited |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan esperado(that) they have waited |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera esperado(if) I had waited |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras esperado(if) you had waited |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera esperado(if) he/she had waited |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos esperado(if) we had waited |
| vosotros/as | hubierais esperado(if) you all had waited |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran esperado(if) they had waited |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere esperado(if) I will have waited |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres esperado(if) you will have waited |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere esperado(if) he/she will have waited |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos esperado(if) we will have waited |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis esperado(if) you all will have waited |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren esperado(if) they will have waited |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of esperar
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | esperawait! |
|---|---|
| usted | esperewait! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | esperemoslet's wait! |
| vosotros/as | esperadwait! (you all) |
| ustedes | esperenwait! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no esperesdon't wait! |
|---|---|
| usted | no esperedon't wait! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no esperemoslet's not wait! |
| vosotros/as | no esperéisdon't wait! (you all) |
| ustedes | no esperendon't wait! (you all, formal) |
Practice esperar
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and esperar.
How to use esperar
Te espero en la puerta.
I'll wait for you at the door.
Espero que te guste.
I hope you like it.
No esperaba tanta gente.
I didn't expect so many people.
Espero que sí.
I hope so.
¡Espera un momento!
Wait a moment!
Example sentences with esperar
- ¿Me esperas?Will you wait for me?
- Esperamos el autobús media hora.We waited for the bus for half an hour.
- Te estaba esperando.I was waiting for you.
- Esperaré aquí.I'll wait here.
- Espero que estés bien.I hope you're well.
- No esperaría menos de ti.I wouldn't expect less from you.
- Espérame, ¡ya voy!Wait for me, I'm coming!
- Llevo una hora esperando.I've been waiting for an hour.
Verbs like esperar
All regular -ar verbs: they follow exactly the same pattern as esperar.
Frequently asked questions about esperar
Is esperar regular or irregular?
Esperar is completely regular. It follows the normal -ar pattern in every tense.
How do you conjugate esperar in the present tense?
espero, esperas, espera, esperamos, esperáis, esperan.
How do you say "I hope" in Spanish?
Espero que + subjunctive: espero que tengas un buen día. Or ojalá: ojalá llueva.
Do you need "por" after esperar?
No: espero el tren = I'm waiting for the train. "Wait for" is just esperar.
What is the difference between esperar and ojalá?
Both express hope. Espero que is "I hope that"; ojalá is a fixed word meaning "hopefully / I wish".
What is the past participle of esperar?
The past participle is esperado and the gerund is esperando.
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All 18 tenses of esperar, on one page.
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