j'attends
j'attends is the French way to say 'I wait'.
This phrase is used to state that you are staying in one place until a specific event occurs or someone arrives. In an informal context, you might use expressions like J'attends ça avec impatience to say 'I am looking forward to it eagerly' or Je trépigne d'impatience to say 'I'm impatiently waiting'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form j'attends is versatile and covers both the simple present 'I wait' and the present continuous 'I am waiting'. If you need to speak about the past, use the imperfect tense j'attendais for 'I was waiting'. To express the future, use the tense j'attendrai for 'I will wait'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the preposition 'pour' when saying you are waiting for someone or something. While English speakers often say 'j'attends pour [someone/something]', the French verb attendre is direct and does not require 'pour' to mean 'to wait for'.
Did you know?
- The phrase j'attends is used in the common idiom attendre au tournant, which literally means 'to wait at the turn' but actually means to lie in ambush or to surprise someone with a trap.
- Unlike English, where 'waiting' is often a passive state, French uses attendre in legal contexts to mean 'considering' or 'whereas'. In a formal judgment, the word attendu introduces the reasons for a decision.
- The verb attendre is a 'false friend' because it looks like the English word 'attend', but it actually means 'to wait'. In French, if you want to say you are attending a meeting, you would use the verb assister à.
Examples in context
- Quand le train qui arrive est bondé, j'attends le suivant sauf si je suis en retard.If the train that comes in is overcrowded, I wait for the next one, unless I'm late.This sentence shows how to use j'attends when discussing waiting for a train.Tatoeba #8296826 by Aiji, translation #10333528 by sundown
- J'attends ici jusqu'à ce qu'elle vienne.I wait here until she comes.This sentence demonstrates the use of j'attends to indicate waiting in a specific location.Tatoeba #2504946 by kiyo, translation #261078 by AlanF_US
- J'attends ton appel ce soir.I am waiting for your call tonight.
Example conversation
Gabriel is meeting Manon at a cafe.
- ManonOù es-tu, Gabriel ?Where are you, Gabriel?
- GabrielJe suis en retard, mais j'attends le bus.I am late, but I am waiting for the bus.
- ManonD'accord, j'attends ici au café.Okay, I am waiting here at the cafe.
- GabrielMerci, j'arrive bientôt.Thanks, I'll be there soon.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
