Esperar is a regular -ar verb in Spanish.
Practice esperar free →Esperar is a neat three-in-one verb: 'to wait', 'to hope' and 'to expect'. As a regular -ar verb it is easy to conjugate, and context makes the meaning clear — espero el autobús (I wait for the bus) versus espero que sí (I hope so). That hoping sense matters because esperar que is followed by the subjunctive (espero que tengas suerte), a reliable way to show higher-level grammar at A-Level. For GCSE, the everyday senses of waiting and hoping cover most of what you need.
Quick facts
Esperar (to wait / hope) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Espero el autobús (I wait for the bus). No 'for' needed in Spanish.
Espero que + subjunctive: espero que vengas (I hope you come).
Esperaba más (I was expecting more).
Esperar a + infinitive: espera a terminar (wait until you finish).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
Esperar is a regular verb. Make sure you know the endings for each tense — especially the preterite and subjunctive, which is where marks are most often lost.
esperar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know esperar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice esperar now →Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.
yo: espero, tú: esperas, él: espera, nosotros: esperamos, vosotros: esperáis, ellos: esperan
Esperar is a regular -ar verb following the standard -ar pattern.
Use esperar in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with esperar or that behave like it.
This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Esperar is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.