How to Say Wait in Spanish: Espera, Espere, Aguanta, and More

To say wait in Spanish, use espera /esˈpeɾa/ with a friend or someone you address as tú, and espere /esˈpeɾe/ in formal situations. For “wait a moment,” say un momento /um moˈmento/ or espera un momento /esˈpeɾa um moˈmento/. The best choice depends on whom you are speaking to, how urgent the moment is, and whether you mean “pause,” “wait for me,” or “hold on.”

Spanish has more than 600 million potential speakers worldwide according to Instituto Cervantes, and it is an official language in 20 sovereign countries. That reach matters: espera /esˈpeɾa/ is understood everywhere, but casual alternatives such as aguanta /aˈɣwanta/ can feel more natural in certain regions. Pair these phrases with the greetings in our guide to saying hello in Spanish, and you can handle many quick everyday interactions.

The core verb: esperar

The verb esperar /espeˈɾaɾ/ usually means “to wait,” but it can also mean “to hope” or “to expect.” Context makes the meaning clear. This overlap is normal in Spanish and is reflected in the Real Academia Española dictionary entry for esperar /espeˈɾaɾ/.

For example, Espero el autobús /esˈpeɾo el awtoˈβus/ means “I am waiting for the bus,” while Espero que estés bien /esˈpeɾo ke esˈtes βjen/ means “I hope you are well.” The command forms below all come from this versatile verb.

Spanish commands change according to the person you are addressing. That is why there is no single universal translation for English “wait.”

The distinction between tú and usted is not merely grammar. It marks social distance, respect, age, local custom, and professional roles. In Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage, Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson describe how speakers use language to protect social rapport. In Spanish, choosing espere /esˈpeɾe/ rather than espera /esˈpeɾa/ can do exactly that.

Everyday ways to say wait

Espera

Espera /esˈpeɾa/ is the default informal command for “wait.” Use it with one person you would call tú: a friend, sibling, classmate, partner, or child.

In rapid conversation, espera /esˈpeɾa/ can be used like English “wait” when you have suddenly remembered something:

Espera, creo que conozco esa canción. /esˈpeɾa ˈkɾeo ke koˈnosko esa kanˈsjon/
“Wait, I think I know that song.”

Tone does the work. Said with a calm voice, espera /esˈpeɾa/ is ordinary. Said loudly in an argument, it can sound like a sharp interruption.

Espere

Espere /esˈpeɾe/ is the formal singular command. It is the right choice with a stranger, client, professor, older adult, official, or anyone you address as usted.

You will hear espere /esˈpeɾe/ frequently from receptionists, shop staff, and phone agents. It is direct but professional, especially with por favor /poɾ faˈβoɾ/.

For travel, learn the phrase before you need it. It fits naturally alongside these Spanish travel phrases, whether you are checking into a hotel or asking for assistance at a station.

Un momento

Un momento /um moˈmento/ literally means “one moment.” It is among the easiest and most flexible ways to ask someone to wait.

You can say un momento /um moˈmento/ alone while holding up one finger, especially when you need to finish a task. To sound more courteous, add por favor /poɾ faˈβoɾ/ when asking somebody else to pause.

Other common versions are un segundito /un seɣunˈdito/, “just a tiny second,” and un momentito /um momenˈtito/, “just a little moment.” The endings -ito and -ita often make requests feel smaller, warmer, or less imposing.

Aguanta

Aguanta /aˈɣwanta/ literally comes from a verb meaning “to endure” or “to hold out.” In casual speech, it often works like “hold on,” “hang on,” or “wait a sec.”

This phrase can sound energetic or urgent. If you are speaking to a close friend while rushing out the door, aguanta /aˈɣwanta/ often sounds more natural than a formal-sounding espere /esˈpeɾe/.

Be careful with context. Aguanta /aˈɣwanta/ may also mean “put up with it” or “endure it,” as in Aguanta el dolor /aˈɣwanta el doˈloɾ/, “endure the pain.” With un segundo /un seˈɣundo/ or a clear conversational situation, listeners understand “hold on.”

Espérame

Espérame /esˈpeɾame/ means “wait for me.” It combines espera /esˈpeɾa/ with me /me/, the object pronoun “me.”

The written accent in espérame /esˈpeɾame/ keeps stress on the second syllable. Accent marks are not decorative in Spanish: they show where stress belongs and sometimes distinguish words with different functions. Our Spanish accent marks guide explains the pattern in detail.

For formal speech, use espéreme /esˈpeɾeme/. To address a group, say espérenme /esˈpeɾenme/. In Spain, esperadme /espeˈɾaðme/ is also used for a group of friends.

Wait on the phone

Phone conversations need more specific language because “wait” may mean “do not disconnect.” If you simply say espera /esˈpeɾa/, the other person will understand, but these phrases are clearer.

No cuelgues

No cuelgues /no ˈkwelɣes/ means “do not hang up.” It is the informal negative command for one person.

The formal form is no cuelgue /no ˈkwelɣe/. A phone agent might say No cuelgue, por favor /no ˈkwelɣe poɾ faˈβoɾ/, while a friend is more likely to say No cuelgues /no ˈkwelɣes/.

Quédate en línea

Quédate en línea /ˈkeðate en ˈlinea/ means “stay on the line.” It is useful when you want someone to remain connected while you transfer them or check information.

Quédate en línea un momento. /ˈkeðate en ˈlinea um moˈmento/
“Stay on the line for a moment.”

For formal speech, use quédese en línea /ˈkeðese en ˈlinea/. This is more common in customer-service language than among friends.

Softer, more polite ways to make someone wait

A command can sound abrupt in any language when it is bare and urgent. Spanish gives you several ways to soften it.

Dame un segundo /ˈdame un seˈɣundo/ is especially useful when you are asking for time for yourself. It literally means “give me a second,” and it is very natural with friends and coworkers.

In Mexican Spanish, tantito /tanˈtito/ means “a little bit” or “just a moment.” So aguanta tantito /aˈɣwanta tanˈtito/ is a friendly “hang on a sec.” In parts of South America, un ratito /un raˈtito/ may mean a short while, though its actual length can be flexible.

Francisco Moreno Fernández’s work on Spanish varieties emphasizes that shared grammar does not erase regional habits. The core commands espera /esˈpeɾa/ and espere /esˈpeɾe/ travel well across the Spanish-speaking world, while small choices such as tantito /tanˈtito/ signal local flavor.

Common mistakes when saying wait in Spanish

Do not use esperar like English “to expect” every time

Because esperar /espeˈɾaɾ/ can mean “wait,” “hope,” and “expect,” learners sometimes translate English too literally. Espero el tren /esˈpeɾo el tɾen/ means “I am waiting for the train,” but Espero que llegue el tren /esˈpeɾo ke ˈʝeɣe el tɾen/ means “I expect or hope that the train arrives.”

The grammar after que /ke/ matters. For practical conversation, learn complete phrases rather than relying on one-word translations.

Do not say espera to everyone

Using espera /esˈpeɾa/ with a close friend is normal. Saying it to a hotel receptionist, a doctor, or an older person you have just met may be too informal in communities where usted remains important.

Choose espere /esˈpeɾe/ if you are unsure. It is respectful and widely accepted, even in places where informal speech is common.

Do not confuse wait with stop

Para /ˈpaɾa/ means “stop,” while espera /esˈpeɾa/ means “wait.” If someone is walking away and you want them to pause, either can work depending on the situation, but they are not identical.

¡Para! /ˈpaɾa/ can sound urgent, like “Stop!” ¡Espérame! /esˈpeɾame/ clearly means “Wait for me!”

Practice with real situations

Try matching each situation to the most natural phrase.

Your friend is leaving without you:
¡Espérame! /esˈpeɾame/
“Wait for me!”

You need a cashier to pause while you find your card:
Un momento, por favor. /um moˈmento poɾ faˈβoɾ/
“One moment, please.”

You answer a call but need to find a document:
No cuelgues, por favor. /no ˈkwelɣes poɾ faˈβoɾ/
“Please do not hang up.”

You are speaking to a client or older stranger:
Espere un momento, por favor. /esˈpeɾe um moˈmento poɾ faˈβoɾ/
“Please wait a moment.”

You are rushing to catch up with friends:
¡Aguanten! /aˈɣwanten/
“Hold on!”

Movies and TV scenes are especially useful for this vocabulary because you can hear urgency, affection, frustration, and politeness in the actor’s voice. Notice whether a character says espera /esˈpeɾa/, aguanta /aˈɣwanta/, or un momento /um moˈmento/, then replay the scene and imitate the rhythm.

Once you can ask someone to wait, build your conversation skills with our guides to saying goodbye in Spanish and saying I love you in Spanish. These short phrases become much easier to remember when you hear them in emotional, realistic scenes rather than isolated word lists.