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S’attendre à 🆚 attendre
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The verbs "s’attendre à" and "attendre" are often confused in French due to their similarity. However, they express distinct ideas and are used in different contexts.

S’attendre à

The pronominal verb "s’attendre à" expresses the idea of expecting something, anticipating an event or situation. It involves a psychological or mental expectation concerning a future event. Note the presence of the preposition "à".

  • Je m’attends à de la pluie demain. (I expect it to rain tomorrow.)
  • Elle s’attend à un examen difficile. (She anticipates that the exam will be difficult.)

Attendre

"Attendre" is a verb that expresses the action of staying in place until someone or something arrives, or the act of delaying an action until a given moment. It involves a concrete temporal dimension, without the preposition "à".

  • J'attends le bus. (I wait at the bus stop until the bus arrives.)
  • Nous attendons la fin du film. (We stay until the movie ends.)

Comparison and Usage

The main difference between "s’attendre à" and "attendre" lies in the nature of the expectation:

  • "S’attendre à" refers to a mental anticipation or prediction of future events.
  • "Attendre" involves the physical act or posture of waiting for something or someone.

Other Examples:

  • Je m’attends à ce qu’il soit en retard. (I expect him to be late.)
  • Je l’attends depuis une heure. (I have been waiting for him for an hour.)