How to conjugate Esperar in Spanish
To wait, to hope Regular AR Verb Top 100
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Esperar
- Esperar in the Indicative Present
- Esperar in the Indicative Preterite
- Esperar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Esperar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Esperar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Esperar in the Indicative Future
- Esperar in the Indicative Conditional
- Esperar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Esperar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Esperar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Esperar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Esperar
- Imperative tenses of Esperar
- Example sentences and usage
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Esperar conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Esperar is the Spanish verb for "to wait, to hope". It is a regular AR verb, and one of the most popular 100 Spanish verbs. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
Similar verbs to esperar include: aguardar.
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | esperar | to wait, to hope |
| Past participle | esperado | waited |
| Gerund | esperando | waiting |
Indicative Tenses of Esperar
Esperar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of esperar is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "espero", meaning "I wait".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | espero | I wait |
| Tú | esperas | you wait |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espera | s/he waits, you (formal) wait |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | esperamos | we wait |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | esperáis | you (plural) wait |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | esperan | they wait, you (plural formal) wait |
Back to top
Esperar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of esperar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "esperé", meaning "I waited".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | esperé | I waited |
| Tú | esperaste | you waited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | esperó | s/he waited, you (formal) waited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | esperamos | we waited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | esperasteis | you (plural) waited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | esperaron | they waited, you (plural formal) waited |
Back to top
Esperar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of esperar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "esperaba", meaning "I used to wait".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | esperaba | I used to wait |
| Tú | esperabas | you used to wait |
| Ella / Él / Usted | esperaba | s/he used to wait, you (formal) used to wait |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | esperábamos | we used to wait |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | esperabais | you (plural) used to wait |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | esperaban | they used to wait, you (plural formal) used to wait |
Back to top
Esperar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of esperar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy esperando", meaning "I am waiting".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy esperando | I am waiting |
| Tú | estás esperando | you are waiting |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está esperando | s/he is waiting, you (formal) are waiting |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos esperando | we are waiting |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis esperando | you (plural) are waiting |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están esperando | they are waiting, you (plural formal) are waiting |
Back to top
Esperar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of esperar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a esperar", meaning "I am going to wait".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a esperar | I am going to wait |
| Tú | vas a esperar | you are going to wait |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a esperar | s/he is going to wait, you (formal) are going to wait |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a esperar | we are going to wait |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a esperar | you (plural) are going to wait |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a esperar | they are going to wait, you (plural formal) are going to wait |
Back to top
Esperar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of esperar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "esperaré", meaning "I will wait".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | esperaré | I will wait |
| Tú | esperarás | you will wait |
| Ella / Él / Usted | esperará | s/he will wait, you (formal) will wait |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | esperaremos | we will wait |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | esperaréis | you (plural) will wait |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | esperarán | they will wait, you (plural formal) will wait |
Back to top
Esperar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of esperar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "esperaría", meaning "I would wait".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | esperaría | I would wait |
| Tú | esperarías | you would wait |
| Ella / Él / Usted | esperaría | s/he would wait, you (formal) would wait |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | esperaríamos | we would wait |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | esperaríais | you (plural) would wait |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | esperarían | they would wait, you (plural formal) would wait |
Back to top
Esperar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of esperar is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he esperado", meaning "I have waited".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he esperado | I have waited |
| Tú | has esperado | you have waited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha esperado | s/he has waited, you (formal) have waited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos esperado | we have waited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis esperado | you (plural) have waited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han esperado | they have waited, you (plural formal) have waited |
Back to top
Esperar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of esperar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había esperado", meaning "I had waited".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había esperado | I had waited |
| Tú | habías esperado | you had waited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había esperado | s/he had waited, you (formal) had waited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos esperado | we had waited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais esperado | you (plural) had waited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían esperado | they had waited, you (plural formal) had waited |
Back to top
Esperar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of esperar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré esperado", meaning "I will have waited".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré esperado | I will have waited |
| Tú | habrás esperado | you will have waited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá esperado | s/he will have waited, you (formal) will have waited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos esperado | we will have waited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis esperado | you (plural) will have waited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán esperado | they will have waited, you (plural formal) will have waited |
Back to top
Esperar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of esperar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría esperado", meaning "I would have waited".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría esperado | I would have waited |
| Tú | habrías esperado | you would have waited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría esperado | s/he would have waited, you (formal) would have waited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos esperado | we would have waited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais esperado | you (plural) would have waited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían esperado | they would have waited, you (plural formal) would have waited |
Back to top
Subjunctive Tenses of Esperar
Esperar in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "espere", meaning "I wait".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | espere | I wait |
| Tú | esperes | you wait |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espere | s/he waits, you (formal) wait |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | esperemos | we wait |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | esperéis | you (plural) wait |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | esperen | they wait, you (plural formal) wait |
Back to top
Esperar in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "esperara", meaning "I waited".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | esperara | I waited |
| Tú | esperaras | you waited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | esperara | s/he waited, you (formal) waited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | esperáramos | we waited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | esperarais | you (plural) waited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | esperaran | they waited, you (plural formal) waited |
Back to top
Esperar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "esperare", meaning "I will wait".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | esperare | I will wait |
| Tú | esperares | you will wait |
| Ella / Él / Usted | esperare | s/he will wait, you (formal) will wait |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | esperáremos | we will wait |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | esperareis | you (plural) will wait |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | esperaren | they will wait, you (plural formal) will wait |
Back to top
Esperar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya esperado", meaning "I have waited".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya esperado | I have waited |
| Tú | hayas esperado | you have waited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya esperado | s/he has waited, you (formal) have waited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos esperado | we have waited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis esperado | you (plural) have waited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan esperado | they have waited, you (plural formal) have waited |
Back to top
Esperar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera esperado", meaning "I had waited".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera esperado | I had waited |
| Tú | hubieras esperado | you had waited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera esperado | s/he had waited, you (formal) had waited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos esperado | we had waited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais esperado | you (plural) had waited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran esperado | they had waited, you (plural formal) had waited |
Back to top
Esperar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, "hubiere esperado", meaning "I will have waited".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere esperado | I will have waited |
| Tú | hubieres esperado | you will have waited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere esperado | s/he will have waited, you (formal) will have waited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos esperado | we will have waited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis esperado | you (plural) will have waited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren esperado | they will have waited, you (plural formal) will have waited |
Back to top
Imperative Tenses of Esperar
Esperar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "espere", meaning "(to you formal) wait!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | espera | (to you) wait! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espere | (to you formal) wait! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | esperemos | let's wait! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | esperad | (to you plural) wait! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | esperen | (to you plural formal) wait! |
Back to top
Esperar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no espere", meaning "(to you formal) don't wait!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no esperes | (to you) don't wait! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no espere | (to you formal) don't wait! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no esperemos | let's not wait! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no esperéis | (to you plural) don't wait! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no esperen | (to you plural formal) don't wait! |
Back to top
Example sentences and usage
- ¡No esperes que los demás piensen por ti! Don't expect others to think for you!
- La vida empieza cuando decides lo que esperas de ella. Life starts when you decide what you are expecting from it.
- Realmente no esperaba eso de vos. I really wasn't expecting that from you.
- ¡Espero que pueda venir! Me gustaría verlo. I hope he'll be able to come! I'd like to see him.
- Espero que tus esfuerzos sean fructíferos. I hope your efforts will bear fruit.
- Espero vivir cerca de tu casa. I wish I could live near your house.
- Espero que seas puntual. I expect you to be punctual.
- Esperaré hasta que hayas escrito la carta. I will wait till you have written the letter.
Back to top
Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Esperar Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
Back to top
Practice Esperar conjugations (free mobile & web app)
Get full conjugation tables for Esperar and 2,100+ other verbs on-the-go with Ella Verbs for iOS, Android, and web.
We also guide you through learning all Spanish tenses and test your knowledge with conjugation quizzes. Download it for free!
Back to top
About Ella Verbs
👋 Hola! We built Ella Verbs to help people (and ourselves!) master one of the hardest parts of Spanish – verb conjugation. It guides you through learning all tenses in an easy-to-follow way, giving you levels of bite-sized lessons and fun quizzes. Here is a 6 minute overview of all of the app's features:
It has changed a lot over the 6+ years we have been working on it, but the goal remains the same – to help you master Spanish conjugation! You can download and try it for free, and, if you do, please send any and all feedback our way!
- Jane & Brian
Back to top
Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Establecer – to establish or see the complete list of verbs here.
Back to top
Esperar: to wait, to hope
Remove the mystery behind Spanish conjugation with Ella Verbs
- Learn how to conjugate (not just memorize)
- Discover & focus on your weaknesses
- Interactive quizzes that you actually learn from
- Free to try, and free forever for those who cannot afford it.
Download for free now
Join 100,000+ others and master your Spanish conjugation with the top-rated verb app, Ella Verbs
Great program that has and is helping me immensely. Four years [studying Spanish] and after just a couple of days with this app I finally am 'getting' the verb thing into my head. After the first couple of lessons I finally feel comfortable conversing with the natives here in Panama. I still have a long way to go but this application was the key for me. Thank you!
Google Play Store