
esperar Present Conjugation
esperar — to wait for
The present tense of esperar is regular: espero, esperas, espera, esperamos, esperáis, esperan.
esperar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to talk about waiting for a bus, hoping for good news, or expecting someone to arrive right now or habitually. It covers both 'waiting' and 'hoping' in daily context.
Notes on esperar in the Present
Esperar is a completely regular -ar verb in the present tense. There are no stem changes or irregular endings to worry about.
Example Sentences
Te espero en la cafetería a las cinco.
I'll wait for you at the cafe at five.
yo
Ellos esperan el tren de la mañana.
They are waiting for the morning train.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Qué esperas de este curso?
What do you expect from this course?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'esperar por' for 'to wait for'.
Correct: Just use 'esperar' directly (e.g., 'espero el bus').
Why: In Spanish, the verb 'esperar' already includes the meaning of 'for,' so adding 'por' is usually redundant.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: esperé
The preterite of esperar is regular: esperé, esperaste, esperó, esperamos, esperasteis, esperaron.
Imperfect
yo: esperaba
The imperfect of esperar uses standard -aba endings: esperaba, esperabas, esperaba, esperábamos, esperabais, esperaban.
Future
yo: esperaré
The future of esperar uses the infinitive as the stem: esperaré, esperarás, esperará, esperaremos, esperaréis, esperarán.
Conditional
yo: esperaría
The conditional of esperar is regular: esperaría, esperarías, esperaría, esperaríamos, esperaríais, esperarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: espere
The present subjunctive of esperar uses -e endings: espere, esperes, espere, esperemos, esperéis, esperen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: esperara
The imperfect subjunctive of esperar is formed from 'esperaron': esperara, esperaras, esperara, esperáramos, esperarais, esperaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: espera
The affirmative imperative of esperar uses: espera (tú), espere (usted), esperemos (nosotros), esperad (vosotros), esperen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no esperes
The negative imperative of esperar uses the present subjunctive: no esperes, no espere, no esperemos, no esperéis, no esperen.