Claro, vamos a esperar.
Sure, we'll wait.
A resigned yes: no rushing, just letting things come. Here esperar has its waiting sense.
From Misión imposible 4 · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "hope" in Spanish
esperar
verbalso: to waitnoun: la esperanzaI hope: espero
"Hope" in Spanish is esperar as a verb and la esperanza as a noun. The same verb also means "to wait", so context decides: Espero que sí is "I hope so", while Te espero is "I'll wait for you". For a quick "hopefully", say ¡Ojalá!
Hear "esperar" in real movie scenes
In both scenes esperar means to wait. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Te espero.
I'll wait for you.
A promise to stay put while the other person takes care of something. Espero is the yo form, and te in front means "for you".
Hope or wait? Phrases with esperar
One verb with two jobs, plus the noun and ojalá.
| Spanish | English | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| Espero que sí. | I hope so. | hope |
| Espero que no. | I hope not. | hope |
| ¡Ojalá! | Hopefully! / I hope so! | hope |
| la esperanza | hope (the noun) | hope |
| Te espero. | I'll wait for you. | wait |
| Gracias por esperar. | Thanks for waiting. | wait |
Tip: After espero que, the next verb goes into the subjunctive: Espero que estés bien means "I hope you're well".
Grammar: esperar and la esperanza
Four points for hoping and waiting.
A regular -ar verb
espero, esperas, espera, esperamos, esperáis, esperan. You'll say espero, I hope or I wait, most often.Hope that: add que
Espero que sí. If someone else does the action, the verb after que is subjunctive: Espero que vengas.Wait for: no extra word
The "for" is built in: Espero el autobús. With a person, add the personal a: Espero a Ana.The noun and ojalá
la esperanza is feminine: No pierdo la esperanza. Ojalá means hopefully, and its form never changes.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Espero tu mensaje.
I'm waiting for your message.
Gracias por esperar.
Thanks for waiting.
Voy a esperar hasta las diecisiete.
I'm going to wait until five p.m.
Espero que sí.
I hope so.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Espero por el autobús
✓Espero el autobús
Esperar already contains the "for", so standard Spanish adds no por.
✗Espero que tú estás bien
✓Espero que estés bien
When espero que is followed by a different subject, that verb goes in the subjunctive.
✗Tengo mucho espero (meaning I have a lot of hope)
✓Tengo mucha esperanza
Espero is a verb form. The thing you have is la esperanza.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
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The other 33 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Desperate people have run out of hope. Drop the d and esperate is one step from esperar, to hope.
Questions about "hope" in Spanish
How do you say hope in Spanish?
The verb is esperar: Espero que sí, I hope so. The noun is la esperanza.
Does esperar mean hope or wait?
Both. Espero que vengas is "I hope you come", and Te espero is "I'll wait for you". The words around it tell you which.
How do you say "I hope so" in Spanish?
Espero que sí, or just ¡Ojalá! For "I hope not", say Espero que no.
How do you say "I hope you're well" in Spanish?
Espero que estés bien. To someone you address as usted: Espero que esté bien.
