等
tán
The Hokkien word for wait is 等 (tán).
The verb 等 is used to express the act of delaying until a specific event occurs.
Meaning: delay until some event (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 等 is the general verb for wait, other phrases are used for specific durations. Use 等等 (Tēng-tēng) to mean wait a moment, 等下 (Tēng-ē) to mean wait a while and the colloquial 等一下 (tán tsi̍t-ē) to mean wait a moment or wait a bit.
How does it change in a sentence?
In colloquial speech, the phrase 等一下 (tán tsi̍t-ē) is a common way to express waiting for a short period of time.
How do you pronounce it?
tán
Did you know?
- The character used for 'wait', 等, is also the character used for 'and' or 'etcetera' in many Chinese-based systems, which can cause confusion for learners reading text.
- The phrase tán tsi̍t-ē is so common that it often functions as a linguistic 'filler' or a way to buy time during a conversation, much like 'um' or 'uh' in English.
- When saying 等等 (tán-tán) to ask someone to wait, adding a particle like 啦 (la) at the end changes the mood from a command to a gentle plea.
Examples in context
- 等下！Wait!This sentence is useful for an imperative command to wait using 等.Tatoeba #13243233 by tsunhua, translation #1744314 by belgavox
- 你等我一下。lí tán guá tsi̍t-ē.Wait for me for a moment.
Example conversation
Shufen and Zhiming are meeting for lunch.
- 淑芬 Siok-fun志明，你在等誰？Tsi-bêng, lí tsai táng siú?Zhiming, who are you waiting for?
- 志明 Chi-ming我在等我的朋友。guá tsai táng guá ê pîng-iú.I am waiting for my friend.
- 淑芬 Siok-fun我也在等他。guá iā tsai táng i.I am waiting for him too.
- 志明 Chi-ming原來你們認識。guân-lâi línn jîn-sik.So you two know each other.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
