Atendi covers two closely related ideas: remaining until someone or something arrives (“wait for”) and regarding an event as likely or due (“expect”). In both uses it is normally transitive: Esperanto says atendi la buson, with no equivalent of English for. A following clause states what the speaker expects to happen.
The complete paradigm
The stem atend- takes all six ordinary verb endings regularly. Finite forms never change for person or number.
| Form | Core value | Typical translation |
|---|---|---|
| atendi | infinitive | to wait for, to expect |
| atendas | present | wait for, expect |
| atendis | past | waited for, expected |
| atendos | future | will wait for, will expect |
| atendus | conditional | would wait for, would expect |
| atendu | volitive | wait!, let … wait |
Mi atendas la buson antaŭ la biblioteko.
I’m waiting for the bus in front of the library.
Ĉu vi atendos min post la koncerto? — Jes, ĉe la ĉefa enirejo.
Will you wait for me after the concert? — Yes, at the main entrance.
Atendis can describe a completed period of waiting or a past expectation. Atendus is conditional, not past. Atendu is extremely frequent as a brief request to pause.
Mi atendus ankoraŭ unu tagon antaŭ ol fari decidon.
I would wait one more day before making a decision.
Atendu momenton; mi tuj revenos.
Wait a moment; I’ll be right back.
No preposition before the awaited object
The person, vehicle, answer, event, or moment awaited is a direct object and takes accusative -n. This differs directly from English wait for.
La infanoj atendis sian patron ĉe la stacidomo.
The children waited for their father at the station.
Ni ankoraŭ atendas oficialan respondon de la banko.
We are still waiting for an official response from the bank.
In the second sentence, oficialan respondon is the object of atendi. De la banko identifies the source of the answer; it does not replace the direct-object construction.
Time expressions may look similar because they can also take -n. In Mi atendis du horojn, du horojn measures duration. In Mi atendis la duan horon, the second hour is what the speaker awaited. Context and meaning distinguish the roles.
Mi atendis vin du horojn en la pluvo.
I waited for you for two hours in the rain.
Here vin is the direct object, while du horojn gives the extent of the waiting. The direct objects page explains why more than one accusative-looking phrase can occur without having the same function.
Waiting until a time or event
Use ĝis for the endpoint of waiting. Unlike the awaited object, this endpoint is a prepositional phrase.
Ni atendos ĝis la sesa, poste ni foriros sen ili.
We’ll wait until six; then we’ll leave without them.
Atendu ĉi tie ĝis mi revenos.
Wait here until I come back.
Esperanto normally marks future time inside a future time clause: ĝis mi revenos, because the return is future relative to the present. English uses a present form after “until,” so English speakers often incorrectly suppress -os. The same principle applies with kiam, post kiam, and antaŭ ol.
Por can still appear with atendi, but only with its ordinary purpose or beneficiary meaning, not as a marker of the awaited object: Mi atendis por paroli kun la kuracisto means “I waited in order to speak with the doctor.”
Expecting an event: ke-clauses
When the expected content is a whole proposition, use atendi, ke…. A prediction treated as a likely future fact normally takes -os in the subordinate clause.
Ni atendas, ke la prezoj iom malaltiĝos dum la vintro.
We expect prices to fall somewhat during the winter.
Ŝi ne atendis, ke tiom da homoj venos al la prelego.
She didn’t expect so many people to come to the lecture.
The tense belongs to the expected event itself. A past main verb does not automatically push the subordinate verb backward as English sequence-of-tense often does:
Hieraŭ mi atendis, ke li venos hodiaŭ, kaj mi ankoraŭ atendas lin.
Yesterday I expected him to come today, and I’m still waiting for him.
When atendi expresses a demand rather than a prediction, a volitive clause can occur: Mi atendas, ke vi plenumu viajn devojn “I expect you to fulfill your duties.” The -u form presents fulfillment as required or desired; Mi atendas, ke vi plenumos… predicts it. This is a genuine meaning contrast, not free stylistic variation. See tense in subordinate clauses and the volitive in subordinate clauses.
La direktoro atendas, ke ĉiuj sendu siajn raportojn ĝis vendredo.
The director expects everyone to submit their reports by Friday.
Atendi versus esperi
Atendi presents an event as anticipated, due, or the object of waiting. Esperi adds a favorable wish or hope; it does not mean physically remain until something arrives.
| Meaning | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wait for a person/thing | atendi + object | Mi atendas la kuraciston. |
| predict as likely | atendi, ke… | Mi atendas, ke pluvos. |
| wish for a good outcome | esperi, ke… | Mi esperas, ke ne pluvos. |
Mi atendas la rezultojn morgaŭ, sed mi nur esperas, ke ili estos bonaj.
I expect the results tomorrow, but I merely hope they will be good.
An expected outcome can be unwanted: Mi atendas plian prokraston. A hoped-for outcome is normally desired. The two verbs can therefore point in opposite emotional directions.
Participles and the word family
Because atendi is transitive, it has active atendanta, atendinta, atendonta and passive atendata, atendita, atendota. Atendata presents the waiting or expectation as ongoing relative to the reference time; atendita presents it as prior. Neither participle by itself says whether the expectation proved correct. The negative compound neatendita “unexpected” is especially frequent and lexicalized in everyday use.
La longe atendita trajno finfine aperis ĉe la horizonto.
The long-awaited train finally appeared on the horizon.
Neatendita paneo prokrastis la eldonon je du tagoj.
An unexpected breakdown delayed the release by two days.
Other useful members include atendo “expectation/waiting,” atendado “the continuing activity of waiting,” atendanto “person waiting,” atendejo “waiting room/area,” and atendovico “queue.” Elatendi means wait out or patiently wait until a process ends.
Ni sidis en la atendejo kaj elatendis la finon de la ŝtormo.
We sat in the waiting room and waited out the end of the storm.
Frequency and register
Atendi is neutral and very frequent in speech and writing. Its direct-object frame is foundational and stable. Atendi de iu ion “expect something from someone” occurs in neutral and (formal) evaluation, while atendi, ke… is often clearer with complex content. Elatendi is standard but more specific. None of the simple tense forms is register-restricted.
Common Mistakes
Copying English wait for
❌ Mi atendas por la buso.
Incorrect — the awaited bus is a direct object.
✅ Mi atendas la buson.
I’m waiting for the bus.
Forgetting object agreement
❌ Ni atendas via fina decido.
Incorrect — the awaited noun phrase is accusative.
✅ Ni atendas vian finan decidon.
We are waiting for your final decision.
Copying English present tense after ĝis
❌ Mi restos ĉi tie ĝis ŝi revenas morgaŭ.
Incorrect for a future return — Esperanto marks that event with -os.
✅ Mi restos ĉi tie ĝis ŝi revenos morgaŭ.
I’ll stay here until she comes back tomorrow.
Using esperi for physical waiting
❌ Mi esperas mian amikon ĉe la kafejo.
Incorrect — esperi does not mean physically wait for.
✅ Mi atendas mian amikon ĉe la kafejo.
I’m waiting for my friend at the café.
Using -u for an ordinary prediction
❌ Mi atendas, ke la trajno alvenu je la sesa.
Incorrect for an ordinary prediction — -u presents the arrival as desired or required.
✅ Mi atendas, ke la trajno alvenos je la sesa.
I expect the train to arrive at six.
Key Takeaways
Use atendi + accusative object, never an English-style for, for the person or thing awaited. Use ĝis for the endpoint and atendi, ke… -os for an expected future fact. A -u clause changes the meaning toward a demand. Keep neutral expectation separate from favorable esperi, and recognize the productive family atendo, atendata, neatendita, atendejo, elatendi.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Direct ObjectsA1 — Learn which Esperanto verb complements are direct objects, how -n marks them, and how object marking remains stable when word order changes.
- Ke-ClausesA2 — How finite clauses introduced by ke function as statements, subjects, objects, complements, and content descriptions.
- Tense in Subordinate ClausesB1 — Choose each subordinate verb from its own time and mood meaning rather than copying English tense patterns or mechanically matching the main verb.
- The Volitive in Subordinate ClausesA2 — Learn when Esperanto uses -u in ke- and por ke-clauses to express a request, purpose, intended result, or other desired action.
- Voli: To WantA2 — Use voli with noun objects, same-subject infinitives, and volitive ke-clauses for another person’s desired action.
- Clause Negation with NeA1 — How to negate an Esperanto clause by placing ne before its finite verb, including commands, questions, and common scope contrasts.