Nous attendons dans la salle d'urgence.

we

Breakdown of Nous attendons dans la salle d'urgence.

• dans: in
• attendre: to wait
• la salle d'urgence: the emergency room

Questions & Answers about Nous attendons dans la salle d'urgence.

Why does French use nous attendons for we are waiting instead of a special continuous form like English?

French usually uses the simple present tense to express both:

• we wait
• we are waiting

So nous attendons can mean either, depending on context.

You can say nous sommes en train d'attendre for strong emphasis on “we are in the middle of waiting right now”, but it’s less common and often unnecessary. In everyday speech, nous attendons is the normal way to say we are waiting.

Why is it just attendons and not attendons pour like wait for?

In French, attendre already includes the idea of “for”. So:

• attendre quelqu’un = to wait for someone
• attendre quelque chose = to wait for something

You do not add pour in this sense.
Examples:

• Nous attendons le médecin. = We are waiting for the doctor.
• J’attends le bus. = I’m waiting for the bus.

Using attendre pour here would be incorrect or would change the meaning.

What is the full infinitive form of attendons, and how is it conjugated?