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How to Say ‘Are you waiting for someone?’ in Portuguese

Estás à espera de alguém?

es-tahs ah ish-PEH-ruh duh ahl-GAYNG

[es-tahs ah ish-PEH-ruh duh ahl-GAYNG]

💬 Usage Tip: In Portugal, "waiting for" is estar à espera de. The à is a + a merged into one word.

Phrase Breakdown

Estás à espera

es-tahs ah ish-PEH-ruh

Are you waiting

'Estar à espera' is the Portuguese way to say 'to be waiting'. 'Estás' is the informal 'you are'. Say 'ish-TASH a ish-PE-ra'.

Example

Estás à espera do autocarro?

Are you waiting for the bus?

Words in this phrase

Estás

[es-tahs]

You are

Second person singular form of 'be', used to describe temporary or situation-specific conditions.

Example

Estás aqui há muito tempo?

Have you been here long?

[ah]

at / awaiting

Part of the expression 'à espera', which means 'waiting for'.

Example

A frase Ficamos à vossa espera. é muito usada por restaurantes.

The phrase 'We look forward to seeing you.' is widely used by restaurants.

espera

[ish-PEH-ruh]

wait

Noun meaning waiting; 'à espera de' means waiting for.

Example

Estou à espera do autocarro.

I'm waiting for the bus.

de alguém?

duh ahl-GAYNG

for someone?

'Alguém' means 'someone'. The ending '-ém' is nasal, like 'eing': 'de al-GAING'. Raise your voice at the end for the question.

Example

Precisas de alguém?

Do you need someone?

Words in this phrase

[duh]

A preposition meaning "of" or "for," depending on context.

Example

Falámos de carreira durante o intervalo.

We talked about career matters during the break.

alguém

[ahl-GAYNG]

someone

Indefinite pronoun meaning 'someone'.

Example

Há sempre alguém pronto para explicar os processos.

There is always someone ready to explain the processes.

Guides for Portuguese learners

The Portuguese You Actually Need in Your First Month in PortugalThe European Portuguese phrases for your first weeks in Portugal: paperwork, renting a flat, the bank, the health centre, cafés, trains and your new neighbours.

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