Attendre is the most common way to say "to wait" in French. But did you know there are several other options that can add nuance and precision to your conversations?

As you navigate daily life in French, whether you're waiting for a friend, waiting for the bus, or just waiting for something to happen, knowing these different expressions will make your French sound more natural and sophisticated.

Let's explore 9 different ways to say "to wait" in French, helping you choose the perfect word for every situation!

The standard 'to wait' – attendre

The standard 'to wait' – attendre

Attendre is the most common and standard verb for 'to wait' in French. It's an essential verb for everyday communication.

As a regular -RE verb, its present tense conjugation is straightforward: j'attends, tu attends, il/elle/on attend, nous attendons, vous attendez, ils/elles attendent.

A crucial difference from English is that attendre is a direct transitive verb. This means you 'wait someone/something' directly, without a preposition like 'for' or 'pour'. For example, you say J'attends le bus (I wait the bus), not J'attends pour le bus.

You'll often hear attendre in common expressions such as attendre un instant (to wait a moment), attendre son tour (to wait one's turn), or faire attendre quelqu'un (to make someone wait).

When you want to say 'to wait until something happens' or 'to wait for a clause', you use attendre que followed by the subjunctive mood. For instance, J'attends qu'il arrive (I'm waiting for him to arrive).

In the passé composé, attendre is conjugated with the auxiliary verb avoir: J'ai attendu (I waited/I have waited).

Beyond 'to wait', attendre can also mean 'to expect'. For example, J'attends un bébé means 'I'm expecting a baby', and J'attends de bonnes nouvelles means 'I'm expecting good news'.

Remember to never use pour after attendre when referring to waiting for a person or thing. This is a very common mistake among English speakers due to direct translation.

💡 * J'attends mes amis devant le cinéma. (I'm waiting for my friends in front of the cinema.)

• Elle attend le bus tous les matins. (She waits for the bus every morning.)
• Nous avons attendu plus d'une heure. (We waited for more than an hour.)
• Attendez un instant, s'il vous plaît. (Wait a moment, please.)
• J'attends qu'il finisse son travail. (I'm waiting for him to finish his work.)

To wait patiently – patienter

While attendre is the general verb for 'to wait' in French, the verb patienter offers a more specific and nuanced meaning: 'to wait patiently' or 'to be patient'.

The key difference lies in the inherent quality of patience. When you patienter, you are not just waiting, but actively exercising patience, often in a situation that demands it.

Patienter is frequently encountered in formal or polite settings, such as public announcements, customer service situations, or when politely asking someone to wait.

Use patienter when the act of waiting itself is challenging or requires a calm demeanor. For example, waiting for important news, a long queue, or a slow process.

Patienter is an intransitive verb, meaning it doesn't take a direct object. You simply patienter, you don't patienter quelque chose (wait for something in the sense of attendre quelque chose).

As a regular -er verb, patienter follows standard conjugation rules, making it relatively straightforward to use in different tenses.

Remember: if you're just waiting, use attendre. If you're waiting patiently, or if the context implies the need for patience, patienter is the more precise and often more polite choice.

💡 * Veuillez patienter un instant. (Please wait a moment/be patient for a moment.)

• Il faut patienter avant de voir les résultats. (One must wait patiently before seeing the results.)
• J'ai dû patienter pendant des heures. (I had to wait patiently for hours.)
• Elle sait patienter quand la situation l'exige. (She knows how to be patient when the situation demands it.)

To wait in a line – faire la queue

When you need to express 'to wait in a line' in French, the common and idiomatic phrase you'll use is faire la queue.

Literally translated, faire la queue means 'to make the tail'. While this might sound a bit amusing, it perfectly captures the image of people forming a line, like a tail.

This expression uses the verb faire (to do/to make), which needs to be conjugated according to the subject. The noun queue (tail/line) remains feminine and singular in this context.

You'll hear faire la queue in everyday situations, such as at a supermarket, a bank, a concert, or even at an administrative office. It's a very common and practical phrase.

For example, 'I am waiting in line' would be Je fais la queue, and 'We were waiting in line' would be Nous faisions la queue. Remember to conjugate faire correctly based on the tense and subject.

Faire la queue is a standard, neutral expression, suitable for both informal and formal contexts. There's no need to worry about it being too casual or too formal.

💡 * Nous devons faire la queue pour les billets. (We have to wait in line for the tickets.)

• J'ai fait la queue pendant une heure. (I waited in line for an hour.)
• Ne fais pas la queue, il n'y a personne ! (Don't wait in line, there's no one!)
• Ils font toujours la queue à la boulangerie. (They always wait in line at the bakery.)
• Faites la queue, s'il vous plaît. (Please wait in line.)

The informal 'to wait for a long time' – poireauter

The verb poireauter is an informal French verb that means "to wait for a long time," often with a connotation of impatience or tedium.

Literally, poireauter comes from poireau, meaning "leek." The imagery is that of a leek standing still in the ground, implying a long, motionless wait.

It's used when someone has been waiting for an extended period, perhaps standing around, feeling bored or annoyed. It perfectly captures the feeling of being "stuck waiting" or "cooling one's heels."

Due to its informal nature, poireauter is typically used in casual conversations among friends or family, rather than in formal settings or written documents.

💡 * J'ai poireauté une heure devant la gare. (I waited an hour in front of the station.)

• Elle nous a fait poireauter pendant vingt minutes. (She made us wait for twenty minutes.)
• Tu vas encore poireauter pour qu'il arrive ? (Are you going to wait around again for him to arrive?)
• On a poireauté sous la pluie, c'était horrible. (We waited in the rain, it was horrible.)
• Arrête de poireauter et fais quelque chose ! (Stop waiting around and do something!)

The informal 'to wait standing for a long time' – faire le pied de grue

The French idiom faire le pied de grue literally translates to 'to make a crane's foot,' but its meaning is far more interesting: to wait standing for a long time, often impatiently, in one spot.

This picturesque expression evokes the image of a crane, a bird known for standing on one leg for extended periods. It perfectly captures the feeling of being stuck, waiting, and often feeling a bit awkward or tedious.

You'd use faire le pied de grue when someone is waiting, usually standing, for a significant amount of time, perhaps for a person, a bus, or an event. It implies a sense of tedium, impatience, or even annoyance at the wait.

As an idiom, faire le pied de grue is a fixed expression. You conjugate the verb faire (to do/make) according to the subject and tense, while le pied de grue remains unchanged.

Remember, this is an informal expression. While widely understood, it's best suited for casual conversations among friends or family, rather than formal writing or professional settings.

💡 * J'ai fait le pied de grue pendant une heure devant le cinéma.

• Tu fais le pied de grue depuis combien de temps ?
• Arrête de faire le pied de grue, elle ne viendra pas.
• Nous avons fait le pied de grue sous la pluie en attendant le bus.

To remain on hold or in a waiting state – rester en attente

The phrase rester en attente is a key French expression for conveying the idea of 'remaining on hold' or 'being in a waiting state.' It's versatile and applies to various situations where something is pending or not immediately resolved.

One of its most frequent applications is in the context of phone communication. When you hear Veuillez rester en attente, it means 'Please remain on hold.' This directly translates to waiting for someone to pick up or for an issue to be addressed during a call.

Beyond phone calls, rester en attente can describe any situation where something is pending or awaiting a decision. For instance, an application can be en attente, meaning it's 'under review' or 'awaiting approval.' It signifies a state of suspension until further action is taken.

While rester en attente specifically means 'to remain' in that state, you might also encounter mettre en attente ('to put on hold') or simply en attente as an adjective ('pending'). Understanding these variations helps grasp the full scope of waiting-related terminology in French.

Mastering rester en attente is crucial for understanding situations involving waiting, delays, or pending statuses, whether you're dealing with customer service, administrative processes, or simply daily interactions.

💡 *Veuillez rester en attente, un conseiller va vous répondre. (Please remain on hold, an advisor will answer you.)
*Mon dossier est toujours en attente de validation. (My file is still awaiting validation.)
*L'avion est resté en attente sur la piste pendant une heure. (The plane remained on hold on the runway for an hour.)
*Je suis en attente de tes nouvelles. (I am waiting for your news/I am awaiting your news.)
*Nous allons mettre le projet en attente pour le moment. (We are going to put the project on hold for now.)

To watch out for or lie in wait for – guetter

The verb guetter means "to watch out for," "to be on the lookout for," or "to lie in wait for." It implies a focused and often prolonged observation with a specific purpose.

Unlike simply regarder (to look), guetter suggests a sense of anticipation, vigilance, or even stealth. You are actively waiting for something or someone to appear or to happen, often with a hidden or patient demeanor.

This verb can be used in various contexts, from patiently waiting for a friend to arrive to an animal stalking its prey, or even watching for a specific opportunity. It conveys a strong sense of attente vigilante (vigilant waiting).

💡 * Il guettait l'arrivée du facteur avec impatience. (He was eagerly watching out for the postman's arrival.)

• Le chat guettait la souris derrière le canapé. (The cat was lying in wait for the mouse behind the sofa.)
• Elle guette toujours la moindre occasion de voyager. (She's always watching out for the slightest opportunity to travel.)
• Les enfants guettaient le Père Noël par la fenêtre. (The children were watching out for Santa Claus through the window.)

To become impatient (while waiting) – s'impatienter

The verb s'impatienter is a reflexive French verb meaning 'to become impatient' or 'to grow impatient,' almost always implying impatience while waiting.

The reflexive pronoun s' indicates that the subject is the one experiencing the impatience. It's an internal state, a 'making oneself impatient' rather than someone else making you impatient.

While être impatient means 'to be impatient,' s'impatienter specifically conveys the act of becoming impatient, particularly when there's a delay or anticipation involved.

💡 * Je commence à m'impatienter. (I'm starting to get impatient.)

• Elle s'impatiente d'attendre le bus. (She's getting impatient waiting for the bus.)
• Ne t'impatiente pas, il arrive bientôt. (Don't get impatient, he'll be here soon.)
• Nous nous sommes impatientés pendant des heures. (We grew impatient for hours.)

To take one's time (implying waiting for the right moment) – prendre son temps

The French expression for "to take one's time" is prendre son temps. Literally, this translates to "to take his/her/its time." It's a common and versatile phrase used to convey the idea of not rushing or proceeding at a deliberate pace.

Beyond just "not rushing," prendre son temps often carries the connotation of waiting for the right moment, being careful, or acting thoughtfully. It suggests a conscious decision to not hurry, allowing for better quality or a more opportune outcome.

The verb prendre is irregular, but the structure remains consistent: prendre + possessive adjective (mon, ton, son, notre, votre, leur) + temps. For example: Je prends mon temps (I take my time), Tu prends ton temps (You take your time), Nous prenons notre temps (We take our time).

This phrase is frequently used when advising someone to be patient, when describing a process that requires careful attention, or when someone is enjoying an activity without hurrying. It emphasizes the importance of patience and thoroughness.

💡 *Il faut prendre son temps pour bien faire les choses. (One must take one's time to do things well.)
*Prends ton temps, il n'y a pas le feu. (Take your time, there's no rush.)
*Elle aime prendre son temps le matin avant d'aller travailler. (She likes to take her time in the morning before going to work.)
*Nous avons pris notre temps pour visiter le musée. (We took our time visiting the museum.)
*Prenez votre temps pour réfléchir à la proposition. (Take your time to think about the proposal.)

Are there other ways to say 'to wait' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'to wait' in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say 'to wait' in French, primarily focusing on attendre. However, like many essential verbs, French offers a rich tapestry of expressions and nuances for different waiting scenarios, from formal to informal, and from patient to impatient.

You can also do an online search for 'comment dire attendre en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region to discover local variations, idiomatic phrases, or slang terms related to waiting.

While attendre is your go-to, you might encounter other verbs or phrases that convey 'to wait' in very specific contexts, or with a particular emotional tone. Always make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it yourself.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover subtle or informal ways to express waiting that are not simply attendre.

For a deeper dive into synonyms for 'to wait' or more nuanced expressions related to patience and delay, the WordReference entry for attendre is an excellent place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s a fitting French proverb to finish with: 'Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre.' (All things come to him who waits.) Keep practicing, and your French fluency will surely arrive!