esperara

Esperara is a conjugated form of the Spanish verb esperar. It appears in the imperfect subjunctive mood and is used in subordinate clauses to express hypothetical, uncertain, or desired events in the past. The form can function for yo or for él/ella/usted in the singular, since both share the same spelling in the -ra imperfect subjunctive. The corresponding alternative subjunctive form is esperase.

In practice, esperara often appears in conditional or hypothetical statements, especially after si or after verbs of wishing, doubting, or needing. Examples: Si yo esperara a tiempo, podría ayudar más tarde. No creía que él esperara una respuesta tan pronto. In many dialects, esperara coexists with the variant esperase, which carries the same meaning.

Etymology and meaning: esperar comes from Latin exspectare, meaning to look for, to wait for, or to hope. In modern Spanish, esperar has multiple related senses, including to wait, to hope, and to expect. The imperfect subjunctive form esperara reflects the same semantic range when used to express past-oriented doubt, wish, or hypothetical scenarios.

See also: esperar, which covers the indicative forms (imperfect, present, preterite) and other subjunctive forms such as esperara’s near synonym esperase. While mostly a grammatical term, esperara can appear in literary or formal writing where past unreal conditions are described. There is no separate, widely recognized meaning for esperara outside its function as a verb form.