¡espera!
To say "hold up!" in Spanish, meaning "wait!", say ¡espera! For more than one person, say ¡esperen! It is also called esperar.
Meaning: to wait or delay (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish |
|---|
| ¡espera! |
| esperar |
¡Espera un momento! means "hold up a moment!" In Spain ¡esperad! is used for several friends.
Which one should you use?
aguaitar is a regional verb meaning "to watch, lie in wait". It does not mean "hold up".
How do you pronounce it?
es-PEH-rah
Did you know?
- Spanish esperar means both "to wait" and "to hope", so espero can mean "I am waiting" or "I hope".
Examples in context
- ¡Espera un momento!Hold up a moment!
- Espera, no encuentro las llaves.Hold up, I can't find the keys.
Example conversation
Two friends are leaving the house.
- Javier¡Vamos, que llegamos tarde!Come on, we're going to be late!
- Sofía¡Espera! Me falta el móvil.Hold up! I don't have my phone.
- JavierEstá en la mesa.It's on the table.
- SofíaYa lo tengo. ¡Vamos!Got it. Let's go!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hold up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
