How to Say "Wait for Me" in Spanish

espérame

/espeɾame/from spelling rules

The English phrase "wait for me" is translated into Spanish as espérame.

A request for someone to stop or slow down until you can catch up with them.

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of the imperative verb espera (wait) and the object pronoun me (me).

Unlike English, the verb esperar does not require a preposition like "for" to connect to the object. You simply attach the pronoun to the verb.

To use the formal usted form, change the ending to espéreme. To ask a group of people to wait for you, use espérenme.

/espeɾame/

While espérame means 'wait for me', the same verb esperar is also the standard word for 'to hope'.
In many Latin American countries, you might hear people say espérate instead of espérame to mean 'hold on a second', even if they are not actually waiting for themselves.
If you are waiting for a person rather than a thing, you might also use the phrase aguárdame, which sounds more poetic or literary.

¡Espérame, espera un segundo!
Wait for me, wait a second!
This sentence is useful for practicing the use of espérame with a short time duration.
Tatoeba #1923489 by marcelostockle, translation #894925 by itsthejazzkid
Espérame. Vuelvo en un segundo.
Wait for me. I'll be back in no time.
This sentence is useful for using espérame when you intend to return quickly.
Tatoeba #1712303 by teskmon, translation #52045 by sundown
Espérame aquí, vuelvo en un momento.
Wait for me here. I'll be right back.
This sentence is useful for using espérame to specify a location.
Tatoeba #1588678 by Shishir, translation #10017782 by ddnktr
Espera por mí, quiero comprar esta artesanía
Wait for me, I want to buy this handicraft
8 more sentences on Tatoeba

Mateo is walking too fast toward the subway station.

Sources

IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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