The verb attendre can cause a lot of confusion as it can mean to wait and to expect. In this post we’ll examine the verb in detail with example sentences. In a nutshell, in the non-pronominal form attendre means to wait while the pronominal s’attendre à means to expect.
attendre + direct object = to wait
The verb attendre means to wait. In French attendre is followed by a direct object, unlike English where one waits ‘for’ something. Here are some example sentences:
- J’attends le bus depuis une heure. I’ve been waiting for the bus for one hour.
- Je vous attends devant la gare. I’m waiting for you in front of the train station.
- Attendez-moi ! Je ne suis pas prêt. Wait for me. I’m now ready.
s’attendre à = to expect
In the pronominal form, s’attendre à means to expect. Here are some example sentences:
- Je m’attends à un miracle. I’m expecting a miracle.
- Nous nous attendons à sa réponse. We’re expecting his reply.
- Pourquoi est-ce que tu t’attends au pire ? Why are you expecting the worst?
Attendre que qqn/qqch fasse qqch means to wait for somebody or something to do something. Here’s an example:
- J’attends que le train arrive. I’m waiting for the train to come.
The indirect object following s’attendre à gets replaced by the indirect object pronoun ‘y‘. Here’s an example:
- Est-ce que vous attendez à un bon résultat ? – Oui. Je m’y attends. Are you expecting a good result? Yes, I’m expecting it.
What’s confusing is that attendre can also mean to expect. Here are some examples:
- Le gérant attend des efforts de la part de ses ouvriers. The manager expects hard work from his workers.
- Qu’attendez-vous des politiciens ? What do you expect from politicians?
A related noun to s’attendre à is une attente, an expectation.
