¿le puedo poner en espera?
The English phrase "can I put you on hold" is translated into Spanish as ¿le puedo poner en espera?
This phrase is a polite request used during a telephone call to ask the other person to wait briefly.
Which one should you use?
The choice of pronoun determines the tone: using le is the standard way to maintain a polite or professional distance during a business call, whereas using te makes the request informal and is used with friends or peers.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the pronoun le can be attached to the end of the infinitive poner to form the single word ponerle, as seen in ¿Puedo ponerle en espera?
Did you know?
- The Spanish word espera and the English word 'desperate' are distant relatives. Both originate from the Latin word for 'hope', as 'desperate' literally means to be without hope.
- In some regions, callers use aguánteme un momento instead of poner en espera. The verb aguantar literally means 'to endure' or 'to tolerate', framing the hold as something the caller must bear.
- In some Latin American countries, a common way to ask this is ¿Me permite un momento?, which translates to 'Will you permit me a moment?' This avoids the more literal 'putting' someone in a state of waiting.
Examples in context
- Sí, claro. ¿Puedo ponerle en espera un momento?Yes, of course. Can I put you on hold for a moment?
- Un momento, por favor, ¿le puedo poner en espera?One moment, please, can I put you on hold?
- Perdone, ¿le puedo poner en espera?Excuse me, can I put you on hold?
Example conversation
Lucía is helping Mateo with a customer service call.
- LucíaHola, Mateo. Estoy revisando su pedido ahora.Hello, Mateo. I am checking your order now.
- MateoGracias, Lucía. ¿Está todo correcto?Thank you, Lucía. Is everything correct?
- LucíaTengo que preguntar al almacén, ¿le puedo poner en espera?I have to ask the warehouse, can I put you on hold?
- MateoSí, no hay problema. Yo espero.Yes, no problem. I'll wait.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, espera, le, poner, CC BY-SA 4.0.
