sala de espera
/sala de espeɾa/from spelling rulesfeminine
The Spanish phrase for waiting room is sala de espera.
Meaning: room (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of sala (room/hall), de (of) and espera (waiting).
How does it change in a sentence?
Because sala is a feminine noun, you use the definite article la to say la sala de espera (the waiting room). To make the phrase plural, you pluralize the noun sala to salas while keeping de espera unchanged, resulting in salas de espera (waiting rooms).
How do you pronounce it?
/sala de espeɾa/
Did you know?
- The word sala originates from Proto-Germanic roots meaning 'dwelling' or 'village' rather than from Latin.
- While sala means 'room' in sala de espera, it can also refer to a courtroom or a legislative chamber in government contexts.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, if you are at a doctor's office, you might simply be told to go to 'la sala', as 'de espera' is often implied by the context.
Examples in context
- Espere en la sala de espera.Wait in the waiting room.This sentence is useful for giving a command to wait in the sala de espera.Tatoeba #449785 by Shishir, translation #2358 by Zifre
- Hay cinco pacientes en la sala de espera.There are five patients in the waiting room.This sentence is useful for stating the number of patients currently in the sala de espera.Tatoeba #1421630 by marcelostockle, translation #1421626 by CK
- Había cinco pacientes en la sala de espera.There were five patients in the waiting room.This sentence is useful for describing a past state of how many patients were in the sala de espera.Tatoeba #460399 by Shishir, translation #275315 by CN
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are at a medical clinic.
- LucíaMateo, ¿estás en la sala de espera?Mateo, are you in the waiting room?
- MateoSí, estoy aquí sentado.Yes, I am sitting here.
- LucíaVoy para la sala de espera ahora.I am going to the waiting room now.
- MateoEstá bien, te espero.That is fine, I will wait for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “waiting room” translations and entries sala de espera, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, espera, sala, sala de espera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
