Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| attendre | /a.tɑ̃dʁ/ |
| patienter | /pa.sjɑ̃.te/ |
The verb is used to express the idea of delaying an action until a certain event occurs. The noun form attente refers to a delay.
Which one should you use?
attendre is the standard and most common verb for 'to wait'. patienter is a more formal or polite way to say 'to wait', often used in professional or service contexts and can also mean 'to be patient'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The imperative form attends is used to tell a single person (tu) to wait. To tell one or more people (vous) to wait, or to address one person formally, use the imperative attendez. Additionally, the phrase en attendant is an idiomatic way to say 'meanwhile' or 'while waiting for something'.
How do you pronounce it?
/a.tɑ̃dʁ/ (2 syllables)
What mistakes should you avoid?
When using attendre with an object, do not use a preposition like 'for' as you would in English. Instead of saying 'attendre pour quelqu'un', you should say attendre quelqu'un directly.
Did you know?
- The verb patienter is derived from the same root as 'patient' and 'passion'. This connects the act of waiting in French to the concept of enduring suffering or hardship.
- The verb attendre shares an unexpected root with the English word 'attention'. Both come from the Latin 'attendere', which means 'to stretch toward' or 'to pay attention to'.
- If you tell a friend attends! in a casual setting, you are often telling them to 'hold on' or 'stop' a movement, rather than just waiting for time to pass.
Examples in context
- Il te faut attendre.You've got to wait.This sentence is useful for showing how to use attendre in a phrase about necessity.Tatoeba #5424284 by sacredceltic, translation #5422657 by CK
- Dis à Tom d'attendre.Tell Tom to wait.This sentence is useful for seeing attendre used in a command.Tatoeba #3712353 by GB3, translation #3199826 by CK
- Tu peux attendre ici.You can wait here.This sentence is useful for seeing attendre used to express possibility.Tatoeba #4579575 by sacredceltic, translation #1895802 by CK
- J'attends.I'm waiting.
- Pouvez-vous attendre un instant, s'il vous plaît?Can you wait a moment, please?
- Je vous prie de patienter un instant.I kindly ask you to wait for a moment.
- Le médecin sera disponible dans quelques minutes, veuillez patienter.The doctor will be available in a few minutes, please wait.
- Attends un peu!Wait a bit!
- Attends-moi devant le cinéma.Wait for me in front of the cinema.
- Attends-moi ici, s'il te plaît.Wait for me here, please.
- Bien sûr, j'attends.Of course, I'm waiting.
- Patientez quelques instants, le serveur va s'occuper de vous.Please wait a few moments, the waiter will take care of you.
- D'accord, nous patientons.Okay, we'll wait.
- 597 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are waiting for a friend at a cafe.
- GabrielJe ne le vois pas encore.I don't see him yet.
- ManonOn doit attendre encore cinq minutes.We have to wait another five minutes.
- GabrielD'accord, je vais commander un café.Okay, I'm going to order a coffee.
- ManonAttendre qu'il arrive pour commander ensemble !Wait until he arrives to order together!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wait” translations and entries attendre, patienter, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries attendre, patienter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
