Esperamos en el vestíbulo.

Here, esperamos means we wait or we are waiting.

The verb is esperar. In Spanish, esperar can mean both:

• to wait
• to hope

In this sentence, because of en el vestíbulo (in the lobby), the meaning is clearly to wait, not to hope.

So Esperamos en el vestíbulo is understood as:

• We wait in the lobby
• We’re waiting in the lobby

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed. The verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• esperamos = we wait / we are waiting

So nosotros is optional:

• Esperamos en el vestíbulo.
• Nosotros esperamos en el vestíbulo.

Both are correct, but the version without nosotros is more natural in most situations.

Grammatically, esperamos is the present tense. But in Spanish, the present tense is often used for what English expresses as either:

• we wait
• we are waiting

So depending on context, Esperamos en el vestíbulo can mean either one.

If you want to be extra explicit about an ongoing action, Spanish can also use:

• Estamos esperando en el vestíbulo. = We are waiting in the lobby.

But the simple present is very common and natural.

En is the preposition that usually means in, on, or at, depending on context. Here it means in:

• en el vestíbulo = in the lobby

So the structure is:

• esperamos = we wait
• en = in
• el vestíbulo = the lobby

Because vestíbulo is a masculine noun in Spanish, so it takes el in the singular:

• el vestíbulo = the lobby

If it were feminine, it would use la, but this word is masculine.

Spanish uses articles more often than English does. In this sentence, el is the definite article the:

• el vestíbulo = the lobby

Saying Esperamos en vestíbulo would sound incomplete and unnatural in standard Spanish.

Because in this sentence, the verb is not followed by a person. It is followed by a location:

• Esperamos en el vestíbulo. = We wait in the lobby.

When esperar is followed by a person, Spanish often uses a:

• Esperamos a María. = We’re waiting for María.

So:

• esperar a alguien = to wait for someone
• esperar en un lugar = to wait in a place

Not naturally in normal usage.

Although esperar can mean to hope, this sentence strongly suggests the meaning to wait, because it describes a location:

• en el vestíbulo = in the lobby

If you wanted we hope, Spanish usually gives more information about what is hoped for:

• Esperamos que llegue pronto. = We hope he/she arrives soon.
• Esperamos una respuesta. = We are waiting for a response or, in some contexts, expecting a response

So in your sentence, the most natural interpretation is definitely we wait / we’re waiting.

Yes, vestíbulo is a correct and widely understood word, and it means something like lobby, entrance hall, or foyer.

However, depending on the country and the building, people in Latin America might also say things like:

• el lobby
• la recepción
• la entrada

The exact choice depends on the situation:

• vestíbulo sounds a bit more formal or architectural
• lobby is very common in hotels and office buildings
• recepción may refer more specifically to the reception area

So vestíbulo is correct, but not always the only everyday option.

It is pronounced roughly like:

bes-TEE-boo-lo

A few helpful notes:

• The stress is on tí because of the accent mark: ves-TÍ-bu-lo
• In much of the Spanish-speaking world, b and v sound very similar
• The u is pronounced like oo in food, but shorter

So a close English approximation is:

bes-TEE-boo-lo

Not exactly. Esperamos means we wait / we are waiting.

If you want Let’s wait in the lobby, Spanish would normally use:

• Esperemos en el vestíbulo.

That form, esperemos, is the let’s form (first-person plural command/subjunctive use).

So:

• Esperamos en el vestíbulo. = We wait / We’re waiting in the lobby.
• Esperemos en el vestíbulo. = Let’s wait in the lobby.