Esperamos cinco minutos en el andén.

Esperamos can mean either:

• we wait / we are waiting (present)
• we waited (preterite, simple past)

For -ar verbs, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite. So by itself, esperamos is ambiguous.

You normally tell from:

• the context
• other time words
• the situation in the conversation

So Esperamos cinco minutos en el andén could mean either:

• We wait for five minutes on the platform
• We waited for five minutes on the platform

In real use, context makes it clear.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

Here, esperamos already shows we.

So:

• Esperamos cinco minutos en el andén = normal, natural
• Nosotros esperamos cinco minutos en el andén = also possible, but more emphatic

You might include nosotros if you want contrast, for example:

• Ellos se fueron, pero nosotros esperamos cinco minutos en el andén.

In Spanish, duration is often expressed directly, without a preposition.

So Spanish says:

• Esperamos cinco minutos
  literally: We waited five minutes

This is very common with lengths of time:

• Dormí ocho horas.
• Estudiamos dos meses.
• Vivió allí tres años.

You can sometimes use durante, but it is not necessary here:

• Esperamos durante cinco minutos en el andén.

That is grammatical, but Esperamos cinco minutos is usually more natural.

En is used here to show location: on / at the platform.

So:

• en el andén = on the platform

This sentence describes where the waiting happened.

If you used a, that would usually suggest movement toward a place, not location:

• Fuimos al andén = We went to the platform

So:

• en el andén = location
• al andén = direction/movement toward it

Andén usually means a platform, especially at a train or metro station.

In Spain, this is the normal word for that kind of platform.

Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• platform
• sometimes station platform

So en el andén means on the platform.

Yes, andén is a masculine noun, so it takes:

• el andén
• un andén

Examples:

• El andén está lleno.
• Esperamos en un andén pequeño.

There is no special rule here that would make it feminine; you just learn it as part of the noun:

• andén = masculine

The written accent shows where the stress goes: an-DÉN.

Without the accent, Spanish stress rules would suggest a different pronunciation. The accent mark tells you the stress falls on the last syllable.

So:

• andén → stress on -dén

This is important for correct pronunciation.

The basic order here is very natural:

• Esperamos cinco minutos en el andén.

But Spanish word order is more flexible than English, so other versions are possible, depending on emphasis:

• Esperamos en el andén cinco minutos.
• En el andén esperamos cinco minutos.

These are understandable, but the original version is the most neutral and natural in many contexts.

A good rule for learners:

• use verb + duration + place here unless you have a reason to emphasize something else

Because esperar can be used in two common ways:

1. to wait

   • Esperamos cinco minutos.
   • He waited for five minutes.

2. to wait for something/someone

   • Esperamos el tren.
   • We waited for the train.

In your sentence, the focus is on the amount of time, not on what was being waited for. Spanish does not need to mention the object if it is obvious or unimportant.

Usually, no. In this sentence, por cinco minutos is not the most natural choice.

For duration with actions like this, Spanish normally uses:

• Esperamos cinco minutos or sometimes
• Esperamos durante cinco minutos

Using por here often sounds unnatural or changes the feel of the sentence.

So the best learner pattern is:

• verb + length of time
• optionally durante + length of time

Yes. It is completely normal Spanish for Spain.

A speaker in Spain could naturally say:

• Esperamos cinco minutos en el andén.

It sounds straightforward and everyday, especially in a travel or station context. The only thing to remember is that esperamos could be present or past, so in isolation it is ambiguous, but in a real conversation that is usually not a problem.