Portuguese Word of the Day
esperar
/es-pe-RAR/ • verb — 8th of Apr, 2026
Listen to pronunciation
Meaning: to wait; to hope or expect
Examples
- Vou esperar aqui até o ônibus chegar.
(I'll wait here until the bus arrives.) - Espero que tudo corra bem.
(I hope everything goes well.) - Não espere demais de si mesmo.
(Don't expect too much from yourself.)
Synonyms
- aguardar
- desejar
Esperar is commonly used both for 'waiting' (e.g., esperar por algo/alguém) and for 'hoping/expecting' (often usar 'esperar que' + subjunctive). For hopes or wishes use 'esperar que' followed by the subjunctive (Espero que ele venha). For waiting you can use 'esperar' + a noun or 'esperar por' in informal speech, though 'aguardar' is a slightly more formal synonym.
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