espera un poco más
/espeɾa un poko mas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "wait a little bit longer" is translated into Spanish as espera un poco más.
While más literally means "more", in the context of time, espera un poco más is the standard way to say "wait a little bit longer".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase un poco más literally translates to "a little bit more" and is used to express the concept of "longer" in terms of time or quantity.
Did you know?
- The word espera comes from the Latin verb sperare, which means 'to hope'. In Spanish, the act of waiting is linguistically tied to the act of hoping.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, telling someone espera un poco más can be a social lubricant that signals a polite delay rather than a precise request for time.
- Depending on the country, espera un poco más may be replaced by regional slang like aguanta un poco más, where aguantar means 'to endure' or 'to hold out'.
Examples in context
- Espere un poco más, por favor.Please wait a little bit longer.
- Espera un ratito más, porfa.Wait a little while longer, please.
- Espera un poco más, por favor.Wait a little bit longer, please.
- No te vayas, espera un poco más.Don't go, wait a little bit longer.
Example conversation
Daniel is ready to leave the restaurant, but María wants to finish her coffee.
- MaríaDaniel, espera un poco más.Daniel, wait a little bit longer.
- Daniel¿Por qué? Tengo mucha prisa.Why? I am in a big hurry.
- MaríaSolo quiero terminar mi café.I just want to finish my coffee.
- DanielEstá bien, te espero.All right, I will wait for you.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
