How to Say “Please Wait to Be Seated” in Spanish

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por favor espere a ser ubicado
/poɾ faboɾ espeɾe a seɾ ubikado/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "please wait to be seated" is expressed as por favor espere a ser ubicado.
This phrase is a request for customers to remain in a designated area until a staff member shows them to their table. It is commonly found on signs at the entrance of restaurants or is spoken by a host or hostess.

What does it mean word for word?

Literally, por favor espere a ser ubicado translates to "please wait to be located" or "please wait to be placed".

Which one should you use?

While por favor espere a ser ubicado is the standard form, you may encounter other variations depending on the level of formality or the region. For example, a more formal option is Por favor, aguarde a que lo/la acomoden, whereas an informal option is Espera a que te acomoden, por favor.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

In formal situations, you might also say Por favor, aguarde a que lo/la acomoden. For informal settings, you can use Espera a que te acomoden, por favor.

Is it said differently in some regions?

Different regions use specific variations: in Argentina, you can say Por favor, aguardá a que te sienten and in Mexico, Espera a que te asignen un lugar, por favor is used.

How does it change in a sentence?

To address a group of people (plural) instead of one person, you must change the verb and the participle: por favor esperen a ser ubicados. Additionally, when using the formal phrase Por favor, aguarde a que lo/la acomoden, you should adjust lo to la if you are addressing a female.

Did you know?

  • The Spanish verb ser, used in ser ubicado, absorbed the Old Spanish word seer, which came from the Latin word for 'sit'.
  • In Argentina, the phrase aguardá a que te sienten uses a distinct verb form called voseo, which differs from the standard Spanish taught in most textbooks.
  • The formal command aguarde comes from the verb aguardar, which carries a stronger sense of 'waiting with expectation' than the common espere.

Example conversation

A customer enters a busy restaurant.

  1. María

    ¡Hola! Buenas tardes.
    Hello! Good afternoon.
  2. Alejandro

    Hola, por favor espere a ser ubicado.
    Hello, please wait to be seated.
  3. María

    Está bien, ¿tarda mucho?
    That's fine, does it take long?
  4. Alejandro

    No, Alejandro, ya casi tenemos una mesa.
    No, Alejandro, we almost have a table.

Sources

  • IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
  • Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, favor, por, ser, ubicado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Allan Gavin
Allan GavinHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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