Which one should you use?
While un momento and un attimo are often interchangeable, un attimo (which literally means 'a blink' or 'an instant') often implies a shorter, more immediate wait than un momento.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase un momento per favore is a formal way to say 'one moment, please'. For a more formal option, you can say Un attimo, la prego, which translates to 'a moment, if you please'. In daily conversation, the slightly more informal and common way to say this is un attimo per favore. If you are in an informal setting, you might say Aspetta un attimo to mean 'wait a moment' or Dammi un secondo to mean 'give me a second'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using un momento, per favore, it is grammatically natural to place a comma before per favore at the end of a request, although this is often omitted in casual writing.
How do you pronounce it?
/un moˈmen.to per faˈvo.re/. The phrase has 5 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word momento shares an ancestor with the English word 'momentum', as both derive from the Latin 'momentum' meaning a movement or a brief weight.
- While un momento is polite, Italians often use the gesture of raising a hand with fingers slightly curled or a palm facing the person to visually signal 'wait' while saying the phrase.
- In a fast-paced Italian cafe, a barista might shorten the request to a simple un attimo and a nod, omitting per favore entirely without being considered rude.
Examples in context
- Scusi, un momento, per favore.Excuse me, one moment, please.
- La prego, un attimo.If you please, a moment.
- Aspetta un attimo, ti prego.Wait a moment, please.
- Dammi un secondo, devo controllare.Give me a second, I need to check.
- Un momento per favore, devo controllare l'agenda.One moment please, I need to check the calendar.
- Un momento per favore, sto arrivando.One moment please, I am coming.
- Aspetti un momento per favore.Wait one moment please.
Example conversation
Chiara is looking for a file while Alessandro waits in the office.
- ChiaraAlessandro, hai visto il mio documento?Alessandro, have you seen my document?
- AlessandroNo, non l'ho visto. Ti serve subito?No, I haven't seen it. Do you need it immediately?
- ChiaraUn momento per favore, lo trovo subito.One moment please, I will find it right away.
- AlessandroVa bene, Chiara, non c'è fretta.Alright, Chiara, there is no rush.
