poner en espera
/poneɾ en espeɾa/from spelling rules
To put on hold in Spanish is poner en espera.
This phrase is used to describe the action of asking a caller to wait on the telephone line while the call is temporarily paused. While poner en espera refers to the specific act of initiating the hold, mantener en espera is used to describe the state of a caller being kept on hold for a duration of time.
Which one should you use?
Poner en espera is used for the act of initiating the hold. In contrast, mantener en espera is used when you want someone to remain on hold for a period of time.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico and Colombia, it is common to use poner en espera in both formal and informal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a specific person or the call itself, you often add a direct object pronoun like lo or la between the verb and the prepositional phrase, such as in ponerlo en espera.
How do you pronounce it?
/poneɾ en espeɾa/
Did you know?
- The word espera is a linguistic relative of the English word 'desperate', as both trace back to the Latin root for 'hope'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to soften the act of poner en espera by adding the diminutive phrase un momentito, meaning 'a tiny moment'.
- While poner en espera is used for telephones, the core verb esperar uniquely covers both 'to wait' and 'to hope' in Spanish.
Examples in context
- Podría colocar al señor García en espera, por favor?Could you put Mr. García on hold, please?
- Le voy a poner en espera un momento, por favor.I am going to put you on hold for a moment, please.
- Voy a poner en espera su llamada.I am going to put your call on hold.
- No puedo poner en espera la llamada ahora.I cannot put the call on hold right now.
Example conversation
Mateo is working at a customer service desk and Maria calls him.
- MateoHola María, ¿puedes esperar un segundo?Hello Maria, can you wait a second?
- MaríaSí, ¿me vas a poner en espera?Yes, are you going to put me on hold?
- MateoSí, tengo que consultar con mi jefe.Yes, I have to consult with my boss.
- MaríaEstá bien, no te preocupes.That's fine, don't worry.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, espera, poner, CC BY-SA 4.0.
