en espera
/en espeɾa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "on hold" is translated into Spanish as en espera.
en espera is used to describe the state of waiting on a telephone call.
Meaning: waiting on a telephone call (prep_phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition en (in) and the noun espera (wait/waiting), meaning literally "in waiting".
How do you pronounce it?
/en espeɾa/
Did you know?
- The noun espera shares a common ancestor with the English word 'desperate', which stems from the same root meaning 'to hope' or 'to expect'.
- If you are waiting for a specific person to arrive rather than waiting on a telephone line, the phrase changes to a la espera de.
- If you are 'on hold' because a vehicle or person has stopped moving, you would use the word parada rather than espera.
Examples in context
- Por favor, manténgase en esperaPlease, stay on hold.
- ¿Me puedes confirmar que estás en espera?Can you confirm that you are on hold?
- Me dejaron en espera.They left me on hold.
- No puedo hablar, estoy en espera.I can't talk, I am on hold.
- Llevo diez minutos en espera.I have been on hold for ten minutes.
Example conversation
Mateo is calling Lucía to tell her about his frustrating call with the bank.
- MateoLucía, estoy muy enfadado con el banco.Lucía, I am very angry with the bank.
- Lucía¿Por qué, Mateo?Why, Mateo?
- MateoMe tienen en espera desde hace mucho tiempo.They have had me on hold for a long time.
- LucíaEso es muy desesperante.That is very frustrating.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “on hold” translations and entries en espera, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, espera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
