Esperar Conjugation in Spanish
esperar means “wait” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Spanish learners meet — it sits at number 38 in VerbFlow’s frequency list. You use it for waiting for the bus, for waiting a minute, and for hoping for good news. Because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of esperar — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Yo espero el autobús en la parada todos los días.” — “I wait for the bus at the stop every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: esperar
- English: to wait
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: no tense — fully regular
- Gerund: esperando
- Past participle: esperado
- Auxiliary: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + the past participle)
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for esperar. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | espero |
| tú | esperas |
| él/ella/Ud. | espera |
| nosotros/as | esperamos |
| vosotros/as | esperáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esperan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esperé |
| tú | esperaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | esperó |
| nosotros/as | esperamos |
| vosotros/as | esperasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esperaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esperaba |
| tú | esperabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | esperaba |
| nosotros/as | esperábamos |
| vosotros/as | esperabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esperaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esperaré |
| tú | esperarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | esperará |
| nosotros/as | esperaremos |
| vosotros/as | esperaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esperarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esperaría |
| tú | esperarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | esperaría |
| nosotros/as | esperaríamos |
| vosotros/as | esperaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esperarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he esperado |
| tú | has esperado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha esperado |
| nosotros/as | hemos esperado |
| vosotros/as | habéis esperado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han esperado |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había esperado |
| tú | habías esperado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había esperado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos esperado |
| vosotros/as | habíais esperado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían esperado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré esperado |
| tú | habrás esperado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá esperado |
| nosotros/as | habremos esperado |
| vosotros/as | habréis esperado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán esperado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría esperado |
| tú | habrías esperado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría esperado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos esperado |
| vosotros/as | habríais esperado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían esperado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | espere |
| tú | esperes |
| él/ella/Ud. | espere |
| nosotros/as | esperemos |
| vosotros/as | esperéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esperen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esperara |
| tú | esperaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | esperara |
| nosotros/as | esperáramos |
| vosotros/as | esperarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esperaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | espera |
| él/ella/Ud. | espere |
| nosotros/as | esperemos |
| vosotros/as | esperad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esperen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | esperes |
| él/ella/Ud. | espere |
| nosotros/as | esperemos |
| vosotros/as | esperéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esperen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | esperando |
| Past participle | esperado |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Yo espero el autobús en la parada todos los días.” — “I wait for the bus at the stop every day.”
Preterite
The preterite is used for completed actions in the past. For example: “Tú esperaste un minuto ayer.” — “You waited a minute yesterday.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Él esperaba buenas noticias antes.” — “He used to wait good news before.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and probability. For example: “Yo esperaré el autobús en la parada mañana.” — “I will wait for the bus at the stop tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Tú esperarías un minuto algún día.” — “You would wait a minute someday.”
Present perfect
The present perfect is used for recent past actions and life experience, formed with haber + the past participle. For example: “Él ha esperado buenas noticias esta semana.” — “He has waited good news this week.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Yo había esperado el autobús en la parada antes de la fiesta.” — “I had waited for the bus at the stop before the party.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tú habrás esperado un minuto para mañana.” — “You will have waited a minute by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Él habría esperado buenas noticias ayer.” — “He would have waited good news yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Es importante que yo espere el autobús en la parada.” — “It is important that i wait for the bus at the stop.”
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive (-ra) is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, and clauses after a past-tense trigger. For example: “Ojalá tú esperaras un minuto.” — “I wish you waited a minute.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. The imperative of esperar gives a direct order; the negative forms use the present subjunctive pattern. For example: “¡Espera buenas noticias!” — “Wait good news!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. The imperative of esperar gives a direct order; the negative forms use the present subjunctive pattern. For example: “No esperes el autobús en la parada.” — “Do not wait for the bus at the stop.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with esperar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Spanish and try to produce it from the English.
- “Yo espero el autobús en la parada todos los días.” — “I wait for the bus at the stop every day.”
- “Tú esperaste un minuto ayer.” — “You waited a minute yesterday.”
- “Él esperaba buenas noticias antes.” — “He used to wait good news before.”
- “Yo esperaré un minuto mañana.” — “I will wait a minute tomorrow.”
- “Tú esperarías el autobús en la parada algún día.” — “You would wait for the bus at the stop someday.”
- “Él ha esperado buenas noticias esta semana.” — “He has waited good news this week.”
- “Yo había esperado el autobús en la parada antes de la fiesta.” — “I had waited for the bus at the stop before the party.”
- “Tú habrás esperado un minuto para mañana.” — “You will have waited a minute by tomorrow.”
- “Es importante que él espere buenas noticias.” — “It is important that he wait good news.”
- “¡Espera el autobús en la parada!” — “Wait for the bus at the stop!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Yo esperar el autobús en la parada.”
✓ Right: “Yo espero el autobús en la parada.”
The infinitive esperar never takes a subject. After yo you need the conjugated present form espero.
2. Confusing esperar with creer
✗ Wrong: “Yo creo el autobús en la parada.”
✓ Right: “Yo espero el autobús en la parada.”
Esperar is to wait or hope; use que + subjunctive for hopes about the future.
3. Using the wrong auxiliary in perfect tenses
✗ Wrong: “Yo soy esperado el autobús en la parada.”
✓ Right: “Yo he esperado el autobús en la parada.”
Spanish perfect tenses are always built with haber, never with ser. The correct form is he + the participle esperado.
4. Dropping the written accent
✗ Wrong: “espere”
✓ Right: “esperé”
The accent on esperé is part of the spelling in the preterite. Without it the form looks like a different word, so always write the accent.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Ojalá tú esperas el autobús en la parada.”
✓ Right: “Ojalá tú esperes el autobús en la parada.”
After ojalá Spanish needs the subjunctive, so use esperes here, not the indicative esperas.
6. Using the preterite for a habitual past action
✗ Wrong: “Yo esperé el autobús en la parada antes.” (said of a repeated habit)
✓ Right: “Yo esperaba el autobús en la parada antes.”
The preterite esperé describes one finished action. For something you did regularly in the past, use the imperfect esperaba.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on esperar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the yo form of esperar in the Present indicative?
- A) esperas
- B) espera
- C) esperamos
- D) espero
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of esperar in the Preterite?
- A) esperaste
- B) esperamos
- C) esperó
- D) esperé
What is the nosotros/as form of esperar in the Imperfect?
- A) esperabais
- B) esperábamos
- C) esperaba
- D) esperabas
What is the tú form of esperar in the Future?
- A) esperarás
- B) esperaré
- C) esperará
- D) esperaremos
What is the yo form of esperar in the Conditional?
- A) esperarías
- B) esperaríamos
- C) esperaríais
- D) esperaría
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of esperar in the Present subjunctive?
- A) esperemos
- B) esperéis
- C) espere
- D) esperes
What is the yo form of esperar in the Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- A) esperarais
- B) esperara
- C) esperaras
- D) esperáramos
What is the gerund of esperar?
- A) esperando
- B) empezando
- C) buscando
- D) existiendo
What is the past participle of esperar?
- A) empezado
- B) buscado
- C) existido
- D) esperado
What does esperar mean in English?
- A) to look for
- B) to exist
- C) to wait
- D) to begin
Answer key
- D) espero — the yo form of esperar in the present indicative is espero. The other options (esperas, espera, esperamos) are the same tense for different persons.
- C) esperó — the él/ella/Ud. form of esperar in the preterite is esperó. The other options (esperé, esperaste, esperamos) are the same tense for different persons.
- B) esperábamos — the nosotros/as form of esperar in the imperfect is esperábamos. The other options (esperaba, esperabas, esperaba) are the same tense for different persons.
- A) esperarás — the tú form of esperar in the future is esperarás. The other options (esperaré, esperará, esperaremos) are the same tense for different persons.
- D) esperaría — the yo form of esperar in the conditional is esperaría. The other options (esperarías, esperaría, esperaríamos) are the same tense for different persons.
- C) espere — the él/ella/Ud. form of esperar in the present subjunctive is espere. The other options (espere, esperes, esperemos) are the same tense for different persons.
- B) esperara — the yo form of esperar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) is esperara. The other options (esperaras, esperara, esperáramos) are the same tense for different persons.
- A) esperando — the gerund of esperar is esperando; it is used with estar for the progressive. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- D) esperado — the past participle of esperar is esperado; perfect tenses use haber + esperado. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to wait — esperar means “to wait” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does esperar mean in English?
esperar means “to wait”. You use it for waiting for the bus, for waiting a minute, and for hoping for good news. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is esperar regular or irregular?
esperar is regular -ar verb, with no irregular tense — it follows the regular pattern throughout. The gerund is esperando and the past participle is esperado.
What are the gerund and past participle of esperar?
The gerund is esperando — use it with estar for actions in progress. The past participle is esperado — use it with haber for the perfect tenses, as in he esperado (I have waited).
What is the difference between esperar and creer?
Esperar is to wait or hope; use que + subjunctive for hopes about the future. If you are unsure, check the full table for creer and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I wait” in Spanish?
Say “Yo espero el autobús en la parada.” — “I wait for the bus at the stop every day.” The yo form of the present is espero, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- esperar in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in its most practised tense.
- esperar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Empezar conjugation — another everyday Spanish verb.
- Buscar conjugation — another everyday Spanish verb.
- Existir conjugation — another everyday Spanish verb.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular verbs.
- Preterite tense guide — how the preterite works, and when to choose it over the imperfect.
- Verb Conjugator — practise esperar with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise esperar with the interactive tool.