How to Say "we expected" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “we expected” is “esperábamos” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Esperábamos el autobús cuando empezó a llover.
We were waiting for the bus when it started to rain.
Siempre esperábamos las vacaciones de verano con mucha ilusión.
We always used to look forward to summer vacation with great excitement.
Esperábamos que la película fuera mejor.
We were hoping the movie would be better.
The 'We' Past Tense
The ending -ábamos always tells you the action was performed by 'we' (nosotros/nosotras). This specific form is only used for regular verbs ending in -ar, like 'esperar'.
Continuous or Habitual Past
Use this imperfect tense form to describe actions that were ongoing in the past ('we were waiting') or actions that happened repeatedly ('we used to wait').
Imperfect vs. Preterite
Mistake: “Using 'esperamos' (we waited) when you mean the waiting was ongoing.”
Correction: Use 'esperábamos' when the waiting was a background action or a state of mind. 'Esperamos' (preterite) tells you the action started and finished quickly.
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