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Lesson Introduction

Being punctual is a quality that not a lot of people posses. Sometimes, it can be difficult to wait around for people. In today's lesson, learn how to ask someone to wait for you. In this case, you are the unpunctual one.

Comments (30) RSS

Avatar Team
lilianamata says

Question of the day:

Who are you? The one you are waiting for or the one who has to wait for someone else?

I will admit it. I am the one that SOMETIMES have to wait for. Some days I am having a bad day. I think everything I wear looks horrible! It's kind of lame and girly but I am being honest! jejeje 

September 7, 2010 from the Web.
adobohobo says

talvez mi esposa esta como usted, Liliana. el contesta correcto = "eres muy bonita. tanto bellisima!"

sometimes my wife is like you, Liliana. The correct answer = "you are very pretty. so beautiful!" (a little italian is okay to use?)

April 5, 2011 from the Web.
lilianamata says

Good answer! Italian is always good to use when giving a complement to a woman.

April 5, 2011 from the Web.
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ige-pilyo says

Wait for me!

September 8, 2010 from the Web.
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chatsoir says

Tengo que esperar otra persona. Quiero ser puntual.

September 8, 2010 from the Web.
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yennyhernandez09 says

No me gusta esperar por nadie.Me gusta ser puntual también.

September 8, 2010 from the Web.
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anna8 says

Pues, por lo general, soy muy puntual.  Es que sólo cuando estoy por salir con mi marido, siempre pasa algo y él debe quedarse esperándome.  No creo que le moleste mucho -- a estas alturas es lo normal:)

Well generally I'm very punctual.  It's just that when I'm about to go out with my husband, something always happens and he has to hang around waiting for me.  I don't think it bothers him too much -- at this point, it's pretty normal for us.

September 8, 2010 from the Web.
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adobohobo says

talvez, no, muchas veces soy tarde.  mi esposa no le gusta. (at all!)

September 9, 2010 from the Web.
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rodneyp says

El PDF dice que tarder significa "to be late". Pensé que tardar significa "to take a long time"?

"To be late" es más como "estoy retrasado", ¿no?  ¿Hay otra maneras de decirlo?

The PDF says "tardar" means to be late.  I thought "tardar" meant to take a long time.

"To be late" is more like "estoy retrasado", right?  Are there any other ways to say it?

September 9, 2010 from the Web.
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anna8 says

That's a great question, Rodney -- maybe for the next Pa' que sepas? -- Ways to talk about being late.

Tardar is one of those verbs I understand in context, but I never use because it's, well, slippery.  I did look it up in my big fat dictionary (Collins unabridged) and among the many examples given, it lists these in which tardar does, in fact, mean 'to be late:'

He tardado un poco debido a la lluvia. (I'm a little late because of the rain.)

Te espero a las ocho, no tardes. (I expect you at eight, don't be late)

Tardó en llegar. (It was late in arriving)

On the other hand, they list the pronominal (reflexive) form of the verb, tardarse, as a chiefly Mexican variant meaning: to be long, to take a long time:

No me tardo. (I won't be long.  I won't take long.)

September 9, 2010 from the Web.
rodneyp says

Ahhhhh....¡Ya caigo!

Anna, tu explicacíon me quedó muy claro, ¡Gracias!

September 9, 2010 from the Web.
anna8 says

De nada!

September 10, 2010 from the Web.
adobohobo says

thank you guys for clarifying this. So, how would one say "I am often late" or "I'm late a lot"? ¡Gracias!

April 5, 2011 from the Web.
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lucie-manette says

There is also the phrase "a más tardar".  For example, "tengo que entregar el ensayo a más tardar el martes" (I have to turn in the essay no later than Tuesday).

September 9, 2010 from the Web.
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bakesy says

Soy puntual.  Siempre tengo esperar para mis amigos.

Also, how do you say - wait for us?  Is it just espera nosotros?

September 9, 2010 from the Web.
bakesy says

thanks rodneyp

September 10, 2010 from the Web.
anna8 in reply to bakesy

Ok guys, I could be wrong here but I'd say that:

Nos espera = He (she, it) is waiting for us / You (formal) are waiting for us.

Espéranos = Wait for us! (tú form)

The way I keep this straight in my head is by remembering: Espérame (Wait for me!), something I hear all the time. Or the more Mexican version: Espérame un tantito (Wait for me just a little while!).

September 11, 2010 from the Web.
bakesy says

thanks anna8, that makes sense.

September 12, 2010 from the Web.
rodneyp in reply to anna8

¡Que tonto soy! Claro, tienes toda la razon anna, no sé en lo que estaba pensado!

Gracias por la correción!

September 12, 2010 from the Web.
anna8 says

Fue un placer!

Y no te preocúpes, Rodney, yo soy muy buena para cometer errores -- ¡no puedo decir ni una frase sin equivocarme, y varias veces! Es la verdad! :)

September 12, 2010 from the Web.
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yennyhernandez09 says

¡Gracias anna8 y lucie-manette,muy buenas sus explicaciones y sus ejemplos!

Tienen razón ese verbo tiene varios usos.Lo incluiremos en un PQS.

September 9, 2010 from the Web.
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doncaster1100 says

Lo siento, estoy muy tarde. Espérame, por favour! Estoy vieniendo in unos minutos.

September 18, 2010 from the Web.
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cdowis says

I thought the informal imperative of "dejar" is "deja".  "No me deja"

Correcto?

September 21, 2010 from the Web.
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anna8 says

Yes, cdowis, but there's a difference between the positive and the negative command. In the positive, 'tu' command, you just use the singular 'usted' form of the verb:

dejar -->¡Deja!  (As in "Déjame ver!" Let me see!)

escuchar --> ¡Escucha!

In the negative 'tu' command, you use the 'tu' form of the present subjunctive:

dejar --> ¡No dejes! (As in "No me dejes! Don't leave me!)*

escuchar --> ¡No escuches!

*By the way, in the positive command, the object pronouns follow the verb:  Escúchame = listen to me!  In the negative command, the object pronouns precede the verb:  No me toques = don't touch me!

September 29, 2010 from the Web.
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jacobjudah says

It may depend on where you are from, but I can't recall a person saying "unpunctual" in English. I think the preferred word in English is spelled just like the Spanish word impuntual, but with a "c" added, "impucntual." It's more common to hear impunctual than unpunctual in English.

December 21, 2010 from the Web.
lilianamata says

Good to know! We can learn Spanish and English at the same time! Gracias.

December 21, 2010 from the Web.
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sarahhong says

Hi.  I have a question about imperatives.  I have learned from you that subject pronouns are commonly left out in Spanish, but added back in when you want to emphasize something.  Does that ever work for imperatives?  In English it's very common to say something like "Don't leave me", but if you want to emphasize it many people would say "Don't YOU leave me" and it would be understood that the person is very serious.  Or, in other situations, things like "You give that to me right now", or "You just forget it" are relatively normal in English.  I'm guessing it's probably not ok to do that in Spanish and add the word TU but I wanted to make sure.  Are other words added for emphasis (in another dialogue I saw "mejor olvidalo"), or is it just the way you say it that changes the feeling a little bit?

March 31, 2011 from the Web.
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guest says


Hello, I am Juliet.
How are you ? hope you are fine and in perfect condition of health.Please I
went through your profile at (spanishpod.com)and i read it and took
interest in it,please if you don't mind i will like you to write me on this
ID(Julietcumbu11@yahoo.com) hope to hear from you soon,and I will be
waiting for your mail because i have something VERY important to tell you.
Lots of love
Juliet.

July 9, 2011 from the Web.
Avatar
guest says


Hello, I am Juliet.
How are you ? hope you are fine and in perfect condition of health.Please I
went through your profile at (spanishpod.com)and i read it and took
interest in it,please if you don't mind i will like you to write me on this
ID(Julietcumbu11@yahoo.com) hope to hear from you soon,and I will be
waiting for your mail because i have something VERY important to tell you.
Lots of love
Juliet.

July 9, 2011 from the Web.

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