Portuguese Phrase
Espera mais uns minutos, por favor.
Meaning
A polite way to ask someone to wait a little longer, roughly translating to ‘Please wait a few more minutes.’ It conveys patience while still being courteous.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need a short delay—perhaps while finishing a task, loading a page, or preparing something. It’s ideal in informal settings with friends, family, or colleagues you address with ‘tu’. For formal contexts, switch to ‘Espere…’.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Esperamaisunsminutosporfavor
Imperative (tu) – Espera
‘Espera’ is the informal (tu) imperative of the verb ‘esperar’ meaning ‘to wait’. Use it with friends or people you know well.
Indefinite article ‘uns’
‘Uns’ is the plural indefinite article meaning ‘some’ or ‘a few’. It agrees in gender and number with the noun that follows.
Polite phrase ‘por favor’
Adding ‘por favor’ at the end makes the request courteous, similar to ‘please’ in English.
🗨In Conversation
Desculpe, ainda não terminei o relatório.
Sorry, I haven’t finished the report yet.
Espera mais uns minutos, por favor.
Please wait a few more minutes.
✕Common Mistakes
Espere mais uns minutos, por favor.
‘Espere’ is the formal imperative (você). Using it with friends can sound overly stiff.
Espera mais alguns minutos, por favor.
‘Alguns’ is also correct, but learners often mix it with ‘uns’ incorrectly; both are acceptable, just keep the article consistent.
Espera mais uns minutos.
Leaving out ‘por favor’ makes the request sound abrupt.
↔Alternatives
Aguarde mais alguns minutos, por favor.
Please wait a few more minutes.
Espere mais alguns minutos, por favor.
Please wait a few more minutes.
Por favor, espere mais alguns minutos.
Please wait a few more minutes.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil and Portugal, adding ‘por favor’ is essential for politeness, even in informal requests. However, the choice of imperative form signals the level of familiarity: ‘Espera’ (tu) is casual, while ‘Espere’ (você) is more respectful. Adjust accordingly to avoid sounding rude.