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How to Say "you hope" in Spanish

English → Spanish

esperas

es-PEH-ras/esˈpeɾas/

VerbA1General
Use 'esperas' when you are talking about your own personal hope or expectation for something to happen.
A young child sitting patiently on a small wooden bench, holding a single red flower, looking expectantly towards the right side of the image, illustrating the action of waiting.

Examples

¿Qué esperas de la vida?

What do you hope for from life?

¿Qué esperas de mí?

What do you expect from me?

Esperas el autobús en la esquina.

You wait for the bus on the corner.

Si esperas demasiado, lo perderás.

If you wait too long, you will lose it.

Waiting For People vs. Things

When waiting for a person, use 'a' before the person: 'Esperas a María.' When waiting for a thing, no 'a' is needed: 'Esperas el tren.'

Wait vs. Hope

The verb 'esperar' covers both meanings. Context tells you which one it is. If you're waiting for something good, it often means 'to hope'.

Confusing 'esperar' with 'to expect'

Mistake: “Espero que tú vas a venir. (Incorrect verb form)”

Correction: Espero que tú vayas a venir. (Use the special verb form—subjunctive—after 'esperar' when expressing hope or expectation.)

esperes

es-PEH-res/esˈpeɾes/

VerbB1General
Use 'esperes' when expressing a wish or necessity that someone else should wait or hope for something, often in a subjunctive context.
A simple storybook illustration of a friendly young person standing patiently beside a brightly colored park bench, looking into the distance with an expectant expression.

Examples

Espero que tú esperes mi llamada.

I hope that you wait for my call.

Necesito que tú esperes hasta que yo llegue.

I need you to wait until I arrive.

No esperes que sea fácil; tienes que practicar mucho.

Don't expect it to be easy; you have to practice a lot.

Ojalá esperes un milagro, pero no cuentes con ello.

I hope you wait for a miracle, but don't count on it.

Two Functions of 'Esperes'

'Esperes' is the form used for 'you (tú)' in two situations: when giving a negative command ('No esperes') AND when the action is uncertain, desired, or doubted (e.g., 'Quiero que esperes').

The Subjunctive Trigger

You must use 'esperes' (the special verb form) after expressions of desire, emotion, doubt, or necessity, often introduced by 'que' (e.g., 'Es bueno que esperes').

Mixing Indicative and Subjunctive

Mistake: “Quiero que tú esperas aquí.”

Correction: Quiero que tú esperes aquí. (The desire of the first verb 'quiero' forces the second verb to take the special 'esperes' form.)

Using 'esperas' for wishes about others

The most common mistake is using 'esperas' (the 'you' form for personal hope) when you actually mean 'esperes' (the subjunctive form for a wish or command directed at someone else). Remember, if you are telling someone else to hope or wait, you'll likely need the subjunctive 'esperes'.

Related Translations

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