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

Está à espera de alguém?

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

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

💬 Usage Tip: In Portugal, estar à espera de is the everyday way to say "to be waiting for". Swap in anything after de: estou à espera do autocarro "I'm waiting for the bus".

Phrase Breakdown

Está à espera

es-TAH ah ish-PEH-ruh

Are you waiting

'Estar à espera' means 'to be waiting'. 'Está' is the polite 'you' form here.

Example

Está à espera do autocarro?

Are you waiting for the bus?

Words in this phrase

Está

[es-TAH]

A form of the verb 'to be,' used for state or condition.

Example

Está ótima esta noite.

It is great tonight.

[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' and ends in a nasal sound, roughly 'al-GAIN' without a full 'n'.

Example

Procura alguém?

Are you looking for 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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