等 (děng) is the everyday verb for waiting, and its first lesson for English speakers is that it needs no "for." 等你 already means "wait for you" — the person or thing you are waiting on is simply the direct object. Beyond plain waiting, 等 stretches into a clause connector meaning "once / when" (等他来了 "once he comes"), a list-closer meaning "etc." (…等等), and a formal label for rank or class (一等 "first class"). The waiting sense is by far the most frequent, and getting its word order right is the main thing to master.
Sense 1: wait (for)
等 takes its object directly. To say how long you waited, put the duration after the verb — and if there is also an object, Chinese repeats the verb (see verb copying).
你先走，我等一下就来。
nǐ xiān zǒu, wǒ děng yíxià jiù lái
Go ahead, I'll come in a moment. — 等一下 'wait a bit'.
我在门口等你，别磨蹭。
wǒ zài ménkǒu děng nǐ, bié móceng
I'll wait for you at the door, don't dawdle. — 等你, no preposition.
我等公交车等了二十分钟，车还没来。
wǒ děng gōngjiāochē děng le èrshí fēnzhōng, chē hái méi lái
I waited twenty minutes for the bus and it still hasn't come. — duration after the verb.
The duration always trails the verb; for the full pattern see the duration complement page. Note the softening 等一下 / 等一会儿 "hang on a sec" — one of the most useful phrases in spoken Chinese.
请等一会儿，医生马上就来。
qǐng děng yíhuìr, yīshēng mǎshàng jiù lái
Please wait a moment, the doctor will be right here.
Sense 2: once / when / until (the 等… frame)
At the front of a sentence, 等 + clause sets up a "once / when / by the time" condition. It almost always pairs later with 再 ("then / not until") or 就 ("then right away"). This is a conjunction-like use built on the same waiting idea: you wait for the first event, then the second happens.
等他回来，我们再一起吃饭。
děng tā huílái, wǒmen zài yìqǐ chīfàn
Once he's back, we'll eat together. — 等…再…
这件事等我想清楚了再告诉你。
zhè jiàn shì děng wǒ xiǎng qīngchu le zài gàosu nǐ
I'll tell you about this once I've thought it through.
等有空了，咱们一起去爬山吧。
děng yǒu kòng le, zánmen yìqǐ qù páshān ba
When we get some free time, let's go hiking together.
Sense 3: etc. (等 / 等等 in lists)
After a list, 等 or the doubled 等等 means "and so on, etc." It closes the list — so it comes at the end, never before the items.
超市里蔬菜、水果、肉类等等，什么都有。
chāoshì li shūcài, shuǐguǒ, ròulèi děngděng, shénme dōu yǒu
The supermarket has vegetables, fruit, meat, and so on — everything.
Sense 4: rank / class (formal, in set terms)
In fixed compounds, 等 means a grade, rank, or class: 一等 "first class," 二等 "second class," 头等舱 "first-class cabin," 一等奖 "first prize." This is a set, mostly written or official use.
他买了一张一等座的高铁票。
tā mǎi le yì zhāng yī děng zuò de gāotiě piào
He bought a first-class seat on the high-speed train. (formal / set term)
Key collocations
| Phrase | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 等一下 / 等一会儿 | děng yíxià / děng yíhuìr | wait a moment, hang on |
| 等一等 / 等等 | děng yi děng / děngděng | wait a sec (softened) |
| 等车 | děng chē | wait for the bus/car |
| 等人 | děng rén | wait for someone |
| 等…再/就… | děng…zài/jiù… | once/when …, then … |
| …等等 | …děngděng | … and so on, etc. |
| 一等 / 二等 | yī děng / èr děng | first class / second class (formal) |
| 等待 / 等候 | děngdài / děnghòu | to wait (formal / written) |
Grammar notes
No preposition, ever. English "wait for you" tempts learners to insert 为 or 对, but 等 is plainly transitive: 等你, 等车, 等结果. If you want the person to wait for you specifically, the object simply is you: 等我.
Register. Everyday speech uses 等. The disyllabic 等待 and 等候 mean the same thing but are formal / written — you'll see 等候 on airport signs (请在此等候) but you would say 等 to a friend. For the register split more broadly, see spoken vs written Chinese.
Not to be confused with attaining an endpoint. "Wait until 3 o'clock" is 等到三点 — here 到 supplies the "until" endpoint, and 等 supplies the waiting.
Common Mistakes
1. Inserting a "for" preposition. 等 takes its object bare.
❌ 我会在楼下为你等。
Wrong — no 为/对 with 等; the object goes straight after the verb.
✅ 我会在楼下等你。
wǒ huì zài lóuxià děng nǐ
I'll wait for you downstairs.
2. Putting the duration before the verb. How long you waited follows 等.
❌ 我半个小时等了你。
Wrong order — the duration comes after the verb.
✅ 我等了你半个小时。
wǒ děng le nǐ bàn ge xiǎoshí
I waited for you half an hour.
3. Putting 等等 ('etc.') in front of the list. It closes the list, so it goes last.
❌ 我买了等等苹果、香蕉、橘子。
Wrong — 等等 'etc.' comes after the items, not before.
✅ 我买了苹果、香蕉、橘子等等。
wǒ mǎi le píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo, júzi děngděng
I bought apples, bananas, oranges, and so on.
4. Using formal 等待 in casual speech. To a friend, just say 等.
❌ 请在这里等待我。
Too stiff for conversation — 等待 is formal/written; say 等我.
✅ 你在这儿等我一下。
nǐ zài zhèr děng wǒ yíxià
Wait here for me a sec.
Key Takeaways
- 等 is transitive with no preposition: 等你 = "wait for you," 等车 = "wait for the bus."
- Duration goes after the verb: 等了半个小时; with an object present, repeat the verb (等车等了二十分钟).
- 等 + clause at the front means "once / when," usually completed by 再 or 就 (等他来了再说).
- 等 / 等等 = "etc." at the end of a list; 一等 / 二等 = rank "first/second class" (formal); 等待 / 等候 are the formal-register verbs.
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