A colorful storybook illustration showing a small child sitting alone on a green park bench, looking patiently down an empty path, illustrating the continuous act of waiting.

esperabas

es-peh-RAH-bahs

verbA2regular ar

you were waiting?Continuous past action,you used to wait?Habitual past action,you were hoping?Past desire/expectation,you were expecting?Past anticipation

Also:did you wait (question)?Often implied in questions about a past continuous state

Quick Reference

infinitiveesperar

gerundesperando

past Participleesperado

📝 In Action

¿Qué esperabas cuando llegué a la fiesta?

What were you expecting when I arrived at the party?

Siempre esperabas el autobús en esa esquina.

You always used to wait for the bus on that corner.

No te veía, pero yo sabía que me esperabas.

I couldn't see you, but I knew you were waiting for me.

Word Connections

Synonyms

aguardabas (you were waiting)
anhelabas (you were longing for/hoping)

Antonyms

te ibas (you were leaving)
partías (you were departing)

Common Collocations

esperabas mucho de – you expected a lot from
mientras esperabas – while you were waiting

💡 Grammar Points

The Imperfect Tense

This 'abas' ending tells you the action was continuous or habitual in the past. Think of it as 'was waiting' or 'used to wait' in English.

Identifying the 'Tú' Form

Verbs ending in '-abas' or '-ías' are almost always the 'tú' form (you, informal) in the imperfect past tense.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Imperfect vs. Preterite

Mistake: "Usando 'esperaste' para describir una acción habitual: 'Cada día esperaste el tren.'"

Correction: Use the imperfect form 'esperabas' for repeated or ongoing actions: 'Cada día esperabas el tren.' (Every day you used to wait for the train.)

⭐ Usage Tips

Setting the Scene

Use 'esperabas' to describe the background action or state of mind when a sudden event happened. E.g., 'Tú esperabas tranquilamente cuando el teléfono sonó' (You were waiting calmly when the phone rang).

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedespera

yoespero

túesperas

ellos/ellas/ustedesesperan

nosotrosesperamos

vosotrosesperáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedesperaba

yoesperaba

túesperabas

ellos/ellas/ustedesesperaban

nosotrosesperábamos

vosotrosesperabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedesperó

yoesperé

túesperaste

ellos/ellas/ustedesesperaron

nosotrosesperamos

vosotrosesperasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedespere

yoespere

túesperes

ellos/ellas/ustedesesperen

nosotrosesperemos

vosotrosesperéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedesperara/esperase

yoesperara/esperase

túesperaras/esperases

ellos/ellas/ustedesesperaran/esperasen

nosotrosesperáramos/esperásemos

vosotrosesperarais/esperaseis

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: esperabas

Question 1 of 2

Which English phrase best captures the meaning of 'esperabas'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

esperar(to wait, to hope) - verb

la esperanza(hope) - noun

inesperado(unexpected) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'esperabas' used for 'hope' or 'wait'?

It can be used for both! Since it comes from *esperar*, it means 'you were waiting' or 'you were hoping/expecting,' depending on the context. If you are waiting for a person, it means 'wait.' If you are talking about an outcome, it means 'hope' or 'expect.'

Does 'esperabas' imply the waiting finished?

Not necessarily. The imperfect tense ('esperabas') focuses on the process of waiting without saying when it started or ended. It just describes the situation in the past.