Conjugation of esperar

The Spanish verb esperar means "to wait, hope". Below are its 8 tenses as tables, 4 example sentences and answers to 3 common questions. Press play next to a present tense form or an example to hear it.

Meaning: to wait, hope
Type: Regular -ar verb
Gerund: esperando
Past participle: esperado

Quick answer

The present tense of esperar is yo espero, tú esperas, él/ella/usted espera, nosotros esperamos, vosotros esperáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes esperan. It is a regular -ar verb, so every tense takes the standard -ar endings. The tables below cover 8 tenses, from the present to the present perfect. Every present form and 4 example sentences have a listen button.

Present tense of esperar

Present Presente
yo	espero
tú	esperas
él/ella/usted	espera
nosotros	esperamos
vosotros	esperáis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	esperan

More tenses of esperar

Preterite Pretérito perfecto simple
yo	esperé
tú	esperaste
él/ella/usted	esperó
nosotros	esperamos
vosotros	esperasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	esperaron

Imperfect Pretérito imperfecto
yo	esperaba
tú	esperabas
él/ella/usted	esperaba
nosotros	esperábamos
vosotros	esperabais
ellos/ellas/ustedes	esperaban

Future Futuro simple
yo	esperaré
tú	esperarás
él/ella/usted	esperará
nosotros	esperaremos
vosotros	esperaréis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	esperarán

Conditional Condicional simple
yo	esperaría
tú	esperarías
él/ella/usted	esperaría
nosotros	esperaríamos
vosotros	esperaríais
ellos/ellas/ustedes	esperarían

Present subjunctive Presente de subjuntivo
yo	espere
tú	esperes
él/ella/usted	espere
nosotros	esperemos
vosotros	esperéis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	esperen

Imperative Imperativo afirmativo
tú	espera
usted	espere
nosotros	esperemos
vosotros	esperad
ustedes	esperen

Present perfect Pretérito perfecto compuesto
yo	he esperado
tú	has esperado
él/ella/usted	ha esperado
nosotros	hemos esperado
vosotros	habéis esperado
ellos/ellas/ustedes	han esperado

Notes on esperar

Esperar is regular. Every form follows the regular -ar model, with forms such as espero, esperaba, and esperaré.

Meet esperar in real Spanish books

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Example sentences with esperar

Espero el autobús frente a la estación. I wait for the bus in front of the station.
Ayer esperamos dos horas en la fila. Yesterday we waited two hours in line.
Cuando era niño, esperaba cartas cada semana. When I was a child, I expected letters every week.
Mañana esperaré tu llamada después del trabajo. Tomorrow I will wait for your call after work.

hablar to speak comenzar to begin terminar to finish

Conjugate any other Spanish verb in the conjugator →

All 150 common Spanish verbs →

Put it into practice

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Frequently asked questions

Is esperar a regular Spanish verb?

Yes, esperar is regular. Its forms follow the regular -ar model.

What are the present tense forms of esperar?

The forms are espero, esperas, espera, esperamos, esperáis, and esperan.

What are the participles and present perfect auxiliary for esperar?

The gerund is esperando and the past participle is esperado. The present perfect uses forms of haber, such as he esperado.