Expect, Hope & Wait

Although expect, hope and wait share the same verb form in Portuguese (esperar), they are distinct words in English. Expect has to do with expectations (expectativas). Hope has to do with “esperança”.To wait is to “aguardar”.

1. When you expect something to happen, you are sure or convinced that is will happen: I expect it to be hot in Fortaleza all year round.

2. You can also expect something that you have determined as a condition, a rule or an agreement, or something that is considered common courtesy: I expect my students to contact me if they can’t arrive to class.

3. Do you expect good customer service in your city when you go out? Do you expect to be treated professionally, or have you lowered your expectations?

4. When you expect something to happen “automatically”, we can also say that you take it for granted (tomar por garantido): We take 24-hour access to the internet for granted… so when the internet is down, most people feel like a “fish out of water”.



5. The Bible says that, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

6. I hope that one of the African teams can go through to at least the semi-finals of the next soccer world cup. Only 3 African teams have ever made it as far as the quarter-finals: The Cameroons (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010). What are your hopes for the 2014 soccer world cup?

7. Under normal circumstances we cannot plan the sex of a baby… all we can do is hope for either a boy or a girl. I would have been happy with either a boy or a girl, but secretly I was hoping for a girl.

8. They say that soon Brazilians may not need to apply for visas to travel to the USA. I really hope so!

9. “All good things come to those who wait”. This expression talks about the value of patience.

10. When you “play the waiting game”, it is a strategy by which one refrains from making a decision/ action for a period of time in order to gain the advantage. This is common in business negotiations and marriage.

11. I can’t wait (Não vejo a hora) to visit Canoa Quebrada over the weekend. I have heard so much about it that I must say I have very high expectations. I just hope it doesn’t rain during our trip!