等 vs 等等 (děng vs děngděng): 'wait' vs 'wait a moment / etc.'
等 (děng) is the plain verb 'to wait', used with objects and durations. 等等 (děngděng) is its reduplicated form, meaning 'wait a moment' (softer, shorter wait) and also serves as a sentence-final particle meaning 'and so on' (etc.). These two meanings of 等等 are unrelated to each other but both confusable with plain 等.
等 is the fundamental verb 'to wait', covering all waiting situations (e.g., 等我, wait for me; 等十分钟, wait ten minutes). 等等 is a reduplicated form of 等 that adds a casual, softened tone meaning 'wait a moment'; it is often used as an imperative (停下来，等等! ) or with an object (等等我). Separately, 等等 also functions as a fixed phrase meaning 'and so on/ etc.', placed after a list to indicate more unspecified items. Learners must distinguish: use 等 for general waiting, 等等 for a brief/softened request, and 等等 only in the 'etc.' sense at the end of a list.
When to use each
Use 等 as the plain verb 'to wait'. It can take an object (等我 wait for me), a time duration (等两天 wait two days), or be combined with other verbs (等着 wait and see). It is neutral in tone and suitable for most waiting contexts, both formal and informal.
等 can also appear in imperative form alone (等! ) but sounds more direct than 等等; in polite requests 等等 is preferred.
As a verb, 等等 is the reduplicated form of 等 meaning 'wait a moment' or 'hold on'. It is softer and more polite than plain 等, often used as an imperative (等等! ) or with an object (等等我). As a particle, 等等 appears at the end of a list of nouns to mean 'and so on, etc.' (我会画画、唱歌等等). These two functions are distinct but both use the same characters.
When 等等 means 'and so on', it is not a verb – do not use it with objects. The verb 等等 can be reduplicated further as 等等等 in casual speech, but that is rare.
At a glance
| 等 | 等等 | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic meaning | to wait (general) | wait a moment (verb) / etc. (particle) |
| Verb reduplication | No (plain verb) | Yes (reduplication gives a 'short, casual' feel) |
| Imperative tone | Direct, neutral | Softer, more polite / urgent |
| Usage with duration | Can take explicit duration (等五分钟) | Usually implies a very short wait (momentary) |
| Usage as 'etc.' | No | Yes (sentence-final particle) |
| Object usage | 等 + object (等我) | 等等 + object (等等我) – works as verb; as 'etc.' no object |
Examples
- 等我在等你。Wǒ zài děng nǐ.I am waiting for you.Plain verb used with object; no shortening implied.
- 等等等等，我还没准备好。Děngděng, wǒ hái méi zhǔnbèi hǎo.Wait a moment, I'm not ready yet.Reduplicated verb used as imperative; softens the request.
- 等等请等等我。Qǐng děngděng wǒ.Please wait for me (a moment).Reduplication with object; more polite than 请等我.
- 等我们等了两个小时。Wǒmen děng le liǎng gè xiǎoshí.We waited for two hours.Duration phrase works with 等, not naturally with 等等.
- 等等我喜欢吃水果，比如苹果、香蕉等等。Wǒ xǐhuān chī shuǐguǒ, bǐrú píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo děngděng.I like to eat fruits, such as apples, bananas, etc.Here 等等 is a sentence-final particle meaning 'and so on'; not a verb.
- 等等✗我等等你两小时。✗ Wǒ děngděng nǐ liǎng xiǎoshí.[Intended: I'll wait for you two hours.]Wrong: 等等 cannot take a long duration; use 等你两小时.
Common mistakes
- Using 等等 for general waiting with a long duration: '我等等你两天' should be '我等你两天'.
- Using 等 for 'and so on': '我吃苹果、香蕉等' should be '我吃苹果、香蕉等等' (or 等 alone is acceptable in formal lists, but 等等 is clearer for completeness).
- Using 等等 in the 'etc.' sense but placing it before the verb or as an object: '我等等吃苹果' is wrong; 等等 as 'etc.' only goes at the end of a list.
- Over-reduplicating: some learners treat 等等 as a habitual reduplication and write '等等等' for 'wait a moment', which is non-standard (though occasionally heard in very casual speech).
- Confusing the two functions of 等等: '我需要等等食物' (need to wait for food?) vs '食物有苹果、香蕉等等' (food includes apples, bananas, etc.).
FAQ
- When do I use 等 vs 等等 for waiting?
- Use 等 for any waiting situation, especially when a specific duration or object is given (e.g., 等车, wait for the bus). Use 等等 when you want to say 'wait a moment' or 'hold on' as a softer command, often with no duration or just an object (等等我). If you need to specify a long wait, use 等; for a very short, casual wait, use 等等.
- Is 等等 always a verb?
- No. 等等 has two distinct uses: it can be a verb meaning 'wait a moment' (reduplication of 等), or it can be a sentence-final particle meaning 'and so on, etc.' The two are unrelated in meaning. Context tells them apart: if 等等 is before a noun or standalone, it's usually the verb; if it ends a list, it's the particle.
- Can 等 be used at the end of a list like 等等?
- Yes, 等 alone can also mean 'etc.' in formal or written Chinese, but 等等 is more common in everyday speech and writing. There is a slight nuance: 等 is often used with a precise number or when listing categories (一、二、三等), while 等等 is more general (苹果、香蕉等等).
- Why is 等等 not just the plural of 等?
- In Chinese, reduplication of verbs typically adds a sense of brief action or casualness, not plurality. 等等 (děngděng) as a verb means 'wait a bit', not 'many waits'. The 'etc.' meaning comes from a different sense of the character 等 meaning 'class, kind', so it's a separate lexical item. Always interpret by context.