Phrasal verb
wait for
Definition
phrasal verb. to stay in one place or delay an action until someone arrives or something happens.
phrasal verb. to stay in a state of expectation or to delay action until a specified time or event occurs; a transitive phrasal verb requiring the preposition 'for' to introduce the object.
Examples
“I am waiting for the bus.”
“We had to wait for the rain to stop before we could start the football match.”
“The investors are waiting for the quarterly results to be published before they decide whether to increase their holdings in the company.”
Examples
simple
“I am waiting for the bus.”
contextual
“We had to wait for the rain to stop before we could start the football match.”
complex
“The investors are waiting for the quarterly results to be published before they decide whether to increase their holdings in the company.”
Usage
always requires 'for' when followed by the person or thing you are expecting.
Teaching tip
common error for speakers of Romance languages who may omit the preposition 'for' because their native verb is direct; practice with 'wait for' vs 'await' (formal, no preposition).
Pitfall
I am waiting the train.
I am waiting for the train.
the verb 'wait' is intransitive and needs the preposition 'for' to connect to an object.
Confusables
Wait for requires a direct object to identify the person or thing expected, while wait is intransitive and stands alone.
RememberWait for + Who/What. Wait = Stop.
Phrasal verb
Particles
for
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
wait + for + object