Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| attendre | /a.tɑ̃dʁ/ |
| s'attendre à | |
| prédire | /pʁe.diʁ/ |
attendre is a versatile verb that can mean both 'to wait for' and 'to expect'. s'attendre à is used for the mental act of anticipating that something will occur.
Which one should you use?
While attendre can mean both 'to wait for' and 'to expect', the pronominal form s'attendre à is used specifically for the mental act of expecting something to happen. For instance, if you are waiting for a person to arrive, you use attendre, but if you are anticipating an event, s'attendre à is more precise.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase s'attendre à requires the preposition à before the object or the infinitive that is being expected.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /a.tɑ̃dʁ/ and has two syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use attendre to mean 'to expect' a person, but in French, if you are waiting for a person to arrive, you use attendre. If you are anticipating an event, s'attendre à is more precise.
Did you know?
- The verb attendre shares its roots with the English word 'attention'. Both come from the Latin 'attendere', which literally means 'to stretch toward' or 'to pay heed to'.
- While English speakers use 'expect' to mean 'to demand' or 'to require' (as in 'I expect you to be on time'), using attendre in this way in French sounds like you are simply waiting for the person to arrive on time.
- In formal French, s'attendre à is often paired with the conditional mood to express a hesitant expectation, whereas English usually sticks to the present tense.
Examples in context
- Voici à quoi s'attendre.Here's what to expect.This sentence shows how to use the verb attendre.Tatoeba #8269890 by Aiji, translation #4902857 by CK
- Je sais à quoi m'attendre.I know what to expect.Tatoeba #2385897 by sacredceltic, translation #2376336 by CK
- Il faut s'attendre au pire.We have to expect the worst.Tatoeba #4304 by TRANG, translation #2427 by Eldad
- Je m'attends à une réponse de sa part très prochainement.I expect a response from him very soon.
- Je prévois une augmentation des ventes pour le prochain trimestre.I expect an increase in sales for the next quarter.
- Ils prévoient une baisse du taux de chômage d'ici la fin de l'année.They expect a decrease in the unemployment rate by the end of the year.
- Je compte sur toi pour m'aider avec les préparatifs de la fête.I expect you to help me with the party preparations.
- Elles comptaient sur une réponse positive de leur professeur.They were expecting a positive response from their teacher.
- J'attends un appel de ma mère pour confirmer notre rencontre.I expect a call from my mother to confirm our meeting.
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “expect” translations and entries attendre, prédire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries attendre, prédire, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
