Introduction

Esperar means “to wait”, and this page covers exactly one thing: esperar in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for esperar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about esperar in the present. It means to wait, and it is completely regular: espero, esperas, espera, esperamos, esperais, esperam. Its pretérito perfeito is esperei, esperaste, esperou, and its participle is esperado. It also means to hope and to expect. It takes the person waited for with por: espero pela Maria. For example: “Ele espera pela Maria todos os dias.” — “He waits for Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of esperar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Esperar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu espero
tu esperas
ele/ela espera
nós esperamos
vós esperais
eles/elas esperam
Gerund: esperando · Past participle: esperado
The gerund is esperando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Esperando pela Maria, aprendo muito.” — “While waiting for Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is esperado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho esperado is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how esperar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for esperar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of esperar is formed

The present tense of esperar has six forms: eu espero, tu esperas, ele espera, nós esperamos, vós esperais, eles esperam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. esperar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of esperar are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning esperamos and esperais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so espero can mean both “I wait” and “I am waiting” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because esperar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of esperar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use esperar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and esperar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu espero pela Maria todos os dias.” — “I wait for Maria.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about esperar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele espera pela Maria todos os dias.” — “He waits for Maria.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with esperar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós esperamos pela Maria todos os dias.” — “We wait for Maria.”

4. Scheduled future events

Portuguese uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu esperas pela Maria todos os dias.” — “You wait for Maria.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and esperar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles esperam pela Maria todos os dias.” — “They wait for Maria.”

Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Ele espera pela Maria todos os dias.” — “He waits for Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele esperou pela Maria ontem.” — “He waited for Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Eu espero pela Maria todos os dias.” — “I wait for Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu esperei pela Maria ontem.” — “I waited for Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Tu esperas pela Maria todos os dias.” — “You wait for Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu esperaste pela Maria ontem.” — “You waited for Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

Example sentences: esperar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu espero pela Maria todos os dias.” — “I wait for Maria”
  2. “Tu esperas pela Maria todos os dias.” — “You wait for Maria”
  3. “Ele espera pela Maria todos os dias.” — “He waits for Maria”
  4. “Nós esperamos pela Maria todos os dias.” — “We wait for Maria”
  5. “Vós esperais pela Maria todos os dias.” — “You wait for Maria”
  6. “Eles esperam pela Maria todos os dias.” — “They wait for Maria”
  7. “Eu espero pela Maria todos os dias.” — “I wait for Maria”
  8. “Ele espera pela Maria todos os dias.” — “He waits for Maria”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu esperas pela Maria.” Right: “Eu espero pela Maria todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is espero, not esperas. esperas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nós espero pela Maria.” Right: “Nós esperamos pela Maria todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form esperamos. espero belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Eu espero pela Maria todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu esperei pela Maria ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito esperei for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu esperar pela Maria.” Right: “Eu espero pela Maria todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive esperar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form espero.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of esperar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) esperas
    • B) espero
    • C) espera
    • D) esperamos

  2. What is the tu form of esperar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) espero
    • B) espera
    • C) esperas
    • D) esperamos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of esperar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) espero
    • B) esperas
    • C) esperamos
    • D) espera

  4. What is the nós form of esperar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) esperamos
    • B) espero
    • C) esperas
    • D) espera

  5. What is the vós form of esperar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) espero
    • B) esperais
    • C) esperas
    • D) espera

  6. What is the eles/elas form of esperar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) espero
    • B) esperas
    • C) esperam
    • D) espera

  7. What is the eu form of esperar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) esperas
    • B) espera
    • C) esperamos
    • D) espero

  8. What is the tu form of esperar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) esperas
    • B) espero
    • C) espera
    • D) esperamos

Answer key

  1. B) espero — the correct form is espero. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) esperas — the correct form is esperas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) espera — the correct form is espera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) esperamos — the correct form is esperamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) esperais — the correct form is esperais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) esperam — the correct form is esperam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) espero — the correct form is espero. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) esperas — the correct form is esperas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does esperar mean in English?

esperar means “to wait”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of esperar formed?

The six present forms are: eu espero, tu esperas, ele espera, nós esperamos, vós esperais, eles esperam. esperar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of esperar?

The gerund is esperando and the past participle is esperado.

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