Aspettate

Aspettate is an Italian verb form derived from aspettare, meaning to wait or to expect. It is the second person plural present indicative, used to address a group: you all wait, you all are waiting. It can also appear as the present subjunctive form for the same subject, as in phrases that express a desired or hypothetical action.

In everyday usage, aspettare covers both waiting for someone or something and expecting or hoping for an outcome, depending on context and object. Examples include: Aspettate qui un momento. (Wait here for a moment.) Aspettate l’autobus. (You all are waiting for the bus.) È importante che voi aspettate il risultato. (It is important that you all wait for the result.) In subordinate clauses the verb can take the subjunctive, as in Che voi aspettate che arrivi la notizia, meaning “That you all wait for the news to arrive.”

Etymology traces aspettare to the Latin exspectare, meaning to look out for, wait for, or expect, formed from ex- (out, away) and spectare (to look). The Italian development preserves the core sense of awaiting an event or arrival, often with a sense of intention or anticipation.

Related forms include the other person and number conjugations of aspettare in the present tense, such as aspetto, aspetti, aspetta, aspettiamo, aspettate, aspettano, as well as related nouns like attesa (waiting, expectation) and aspettativa (expectation). The word is common across formal and informal registers and appears in instructions, conversation, and written Italian.