attends une minute
The French phrase for "wait a minute" is attends une minute.
attends une minute is a colloquial way to say "wait a minute" in French. Other ways to express similar requests include attends un peu for "wait a bit", un instant, s'il te plaît for "one moment, please" and Hé, attends une seconde ! for "Hey, wait a second!"
Meaning: Translations (intj)
Which one should you use?
While une minute is common, un instant (a moment) is often used in more formal or polite contexts to ask someone to wait briefly.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form attends une minute uses the informal tu conjugation. Use attendez une minute when speaking to a stranger, a superior or a group of people.
Did you know?
- The word minute can also refer to a 'minute' or rough draft of a legal document in French law, regardless of how long it took to write.
- The word minute is used in the phrase à la minute, meaning something is prepared fresh and immediately, like a sauce in a professional kitchen.
- The word minute shares a linguistic root with the English word 'menu', as both descend from the Latin 'minutus', meaning 'small'.
Examples in context
- Attends une minute, s'il te plaît.Wait a minute, please!This sentence is useful for adding a polite request to the phrase attends une minute.Tatoeba #128475 by sacredceltic, translation #1879680 by Asma
- Attends une minute ! À qui est ce cheveu ?!Wait a minute! Whose hair is this?!This sentence shows how to use attends une minute to express surprise or sudden realization.Tatoeba #11745477 by lbdx, translation #4641270 by corbinjurgens
- Attends une minute, je n'ai pas encore fini.Wait a minute, I'm not finished yet.This sentence shows how to use attends une minute to ask for more time while finishing a task.Tatoeba #6199649 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #6199514 by al_ex_an_der
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma is trying to leave the house, but Hugo needs to find his keys.
- HugoEmma, attends une minute !Emma, wait a minute!
- EmmaQuoi encore, Hugo ?What now, Hugo?
- HugoJe cherche mes clés.I am looking for my keys.
- EmmaElles sont sur la table.They are on the table.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries minute, une, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
