espere, por favor
In Spanish, 'hold on, please' is translated as espere, por favor.
This phrase is a polite request for someone to wait for a short period of time. Another very common and natural way to express this is by saying un momento, por favor, which literally means 'one moment, please'.
Which one should you use?
The form espere, por favor is the formal version. If you are speaking to someone you know well or someone younger than you, you should use the informal form espera, por favor.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico or Venezuela, you may hear ¡Espera un cachito, por favor! In Spain, particularly among younger generations, the phrase ¡Tranqui, espera un rato, porfa! is common.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the number of people you are addressing, use the plural form esperen, por favor when asking more than one person to hold on. Use espera, por favor for a single person you are on informal terms with.
Did you know?
- The Spanish word espera is used not only to ask someone to wait, but also as a common exclamation of surprise or disbelief, similar to saying 'Wait, what?' in English.
- In some Latin American cultures, asking someone to wait un cachito evokes the imagery of a 'small piece' of something, treating time as a physical object that can be sliced.
- The word favor shares its roots with the English word 'favour', as both descend from the Latin 'favorem', meaning 'to be kind or helpful to'.
Examples in context
- Espere un momento, por favor.Wait a moment, please.
- Espere, por favor, estoy terminando algo.Hold on, please, I am finishing something.
- Espere, por favor, un momento.Wait, please, one moment.
- Espere, por favor, la puerta está cerrada.Hold on, please, the door is closed.
Example conversation
Elena is helping Mateo on the phone.
- ElenaHola, Mateo. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle?Hello, Mateo. How can I help you?
- MateoNecesito saber el horario de la oficina.I need to know the office hours.
- ElenaEspere, por favor, voy a revisarlo.Hold on, please, I am going to check it.
- MateoEstá bien, yo espero.That is fine, I will wait.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries favor, por, CC BY-SA 4.0.
