انتظر
intazir
The English phrase 'hold on' is translated into Arabic as انتظر (intazir).
انتظر is used to tell someone to wait a minute. In professional or official settings, you might use الرجاء الانتظار to mean 'Kindly wait' or الرجاء التحلي بالصبر to say 'Please be patient'. If you want to say 'Please wait' formally, you can use اصبر، من فضلك. In informal settings, انتظر لحظة is used to say 'Wait a moment' and the colloquial phrase انتظر شوية means 'Wait a little'.
Meaning: wait a minute (verb)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
انتظر is a standard form suitable for both formal and neutral settings. For higher levels of formality, such as in official contexts, use الرجاء الانتظار ('Kindly wait') or اصبر، من فضلك ('Please wait'). For informal or colloquial speech, you can use انتظر شوية ('Wait a little') or انتظر لحظة ('Wait a moment').
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many spoken Arabic dialects, the word استنى is more commonly used than the standard انتظر to mean 'wait' or 'hold on'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the imperative form to address different people, the word changes: use انتظري when addressing a single female and انتظروا when addressing a group of people.
How do you pronounce it?
intazir
Did you know?
- The root of انتظر refers to the act of staring or looking out for something. In its earliest sense, waiting was not just staying put, but actively watching for the arrival of a person or event.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, saying انتظر while holding up a hand with the palm facing the listener is a common gesture to signal a pause in conversation.
- In some Levantine dialects, the colloquial استنى is used not just to ask someone to wait, but as a sharp warning to 'stop right there' when someone is walking away.
Examples in context
- انتظر لحظة من فضلك.Hold on a moment, please.This example is useful for practicing how to say 'Hold on a moment, please.' using انتظر.Tatoeba #398466 by saeb, translation #40045 by CK
- هلا انتظرت من فضلك؟Would you please hold on?This example shows how to politely ask 'Would you please hold on?' using انتظر.Tatoeba #8677009 by Ahmed_Waleed, translation #5296309 by CK
- انتظر.Hold on.This example demonstrates a simple way to say 'Hold on.' using انتظر.Tatoeba #8676952 by Ahmed_Waleed, translation #1357000 by sacredceltic
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ziad is about to leave the house, but Nour needs him to check something first.
- نور Nourانتظر، هل نسيت مفاتيحك؟intazir, hal nasita mafatihaka?Hold on, did you forget your keys?
- زياد Ziadأوه، شكراً لك يا نور.oh, shukran laki ya Nour.Oh, thank you, Nour.
- نور Nourلا مشكلة، خذها.la mushkila, khudh-ha.No problem, take them.
- زياد Ziadأنا ذاهب الآن.ana dhahib al-an.I am leaving now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
