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impacientar

B1 verb 11 min read

impacientar

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips impacientar in 30 Seconds

Explanation impacientar in your Level:

At the A1 level, you don't need to use the verb 'impacientar' often, but you should recognize its root: 'paciencia' (patience). You might know 'paciente' (patient) or 'impaciente' (impatient). Imagine you are waiting for a bus that is very late. You might feel 'impaciente'. The verb 'impacientar' is the action of making someone feel that way. For example, 'El bus me impacienta' (The bus makes me impatient). At this stage, focus on the adjective 'impaciente' first, as it is easier to use with 'estoy' (I am). However, knowing that 'im-' means 'not' will help you understand many other Spanish words later on. Think of it as the opposite of being calm and waiting nicely. If you see this word, just remember it's about not wanting to wait anymore.

As an A2 learner, you are starting to use more verbs to describe how things make you feel. 'Impacientar' is a great verb to add to your list of 'feeling verbs' like 'gustar' or 'molestar'. You can use it to explain why you are frustrated. 'La lluvia me impacienta' (The rain makes me impatient/restless). You should also notice the reflexive form 'impacientarse'. When you are the one getting impatient, you say 'Me impaciento'. It's important to start noticing the difference between 'I am impatient' (Estoy impaciente) and 'I am getting impatient' (Me impaciento). Practice using it in simple situations like waiting for food in a restaurant or waiting for a friend who is late. It helps you express your emotions more specifically than just saying 'no me gusta' (I don't like it).

At the B1 level, you should be comfortable using 'impacientar' in both its transitive and reflexive forms. You are now moving beyond simple descriptions and starting to explain the causes of your emotions. Use 'impacientar' to describe external triggers: 'Tu silencio me impacienta' (Your silence is making me impatient). You should also be aware of the subjunctive mood. After expressions like 'es normal que' or 'me molesta que', you will need to change the verb ending. For example: 'Es normal que te impacientes si el tren no llega' (It's normal that you get impatient if the train doesn't arrive). This level is about precision. Instead of using 'enojar' (to make angry) for everything, use 'impacientar' when the specific cause is a delay or a lack of speed. It makes your Spanish sound more natural and nuanced.

At the B2 level, you can use 'impacientar' in more complex grammatical structures and professional contexts. You might use it in the passive voice or with the impersonal 'se' to describe general moods: 'Se nota que la falta de noticias está impacientando al público' (It's clear that the lack of news is making the public impatient). You should also be able to distinguish 'impacientar' from synonyms like 'inquietar' (to make uneasy) or 'desesperar' (to drive to despair). 'Impacientar' is often the 'mild' version of these feelings. You can also use it to describe abstract concepts, such as 'La lentitud del progreso tecnológico impacienta a los expertos'. At this stage, you should also be comfortable using the past tenses: 'Me impacientó mucho que no me llamaras' (It made me very impatient that you didn't call me).

At the C1 level, 'impacientar' becomes a tool for subtle expression in literature, formal writing, and high-level debate. You can use it to describe not just a personal feeling, but a social or economic climate. For example, 'La ambigüedad de la ley impacienta a los juristas, quienes exigen una reforma inmediata'. You should understand the stylistic difference between using the verb 'impacientar' and the phrase 'hacer perder la paciencia'. The verb is often more concise and elegant. You can also use the past participle 'impacientado' as an adjective in specific literary contexts, though 'impaciente' remains more common. You should also be able to use it in complex conditional sentences: 'Si no fuera por tu calma, mi propia indecisión ya me habría impacientado'. Your mastery of this word shows you can navigate the subtle boundaries between restlessness, anxiety, and irritation.

At the C2 level, you use 'impacientar' with the native-like precision of a storyteller or a professional communicator. You understand its historical roots and how it fits into the broader spectrum of Spanish verbs of affect. You can use it to create specific atmospheres in creative writing: 'El goteo incesante del grifo no solo le molestaba, sino que llegaba a impacientar su alma ya de por sí atormentada'. You are also aware of regional variations and how the word might be replaced by local idioms (like 'sacar de quicio' in Spain or 'poner chivo' in some Latin American countries) but you choose 'impacientar' for its clarity and standard reach. You can manipulate the word order and prosody of the sentence to place the focus exactly where you want it, using the verb to convey subtle shifts in power and emotional control between characters or speakers.

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips

impacientar in 30 Seconds

Impacientar is a Spanish verb meaning 'to make someone impatient'.
It is often used transitively (something makes you impatient) or reflexively (you get impatient).
It comes from the root 'paciencia' (patience) with the negating prefix 'im-'.
Commonly used in contexts of waiting, traffic, delays, or annoying behavior.

The Spanish verb impacientar is a transitive verb that primarily means to make someone lose their patience, to make them restless, or to cause them to feel a sense of urgency or annoyance due to waiting or delay. While the reflexive form impacientarse (to become impatient) is perhaps more common in daily speech, the transitive impacientar is essential for describing external factors that trigger this emotional state. At its core, the word is built from the prefix 'im-' (not/without) and 'paciencia' (patience), derived from the Latin 'patientia'. When you use this word, you are focusing on the source of the irritation. For example, if a slow internet connection is making you restless, the connection is what te impacienta. It conveys a specific type of psychological friction where the flow of time feels hindered by an external obstacle.

Core Concept: The act of stripping someone of their calm or 'patience' through delay, repetition, or uncertainty.

La espera prolongada en la sala de urgencias comenzó a impacientar a los familiares.

In social contexts, this verb often appears when discussing interpersonal dynamics. A parent might tell a child that their constant asking of 'are we there yet?' is starting to impacientar them. It is slightly more formal and precise than saying 'me molesta' (it bothers me). While 'molestar' is generic irritation, impacientar specifically targets the depletion of one's ability to wait calmly. It is frequently used in literature and formal journalism to describe public reaction to political delays or economic shifts. For instance, 'La falta de reformas comienza a impacientar a los inversores' (The lack of reforms is starting to make investors impatient). This usage highlights a transition from a state of neutral observation to one of active dissatisfaction and desire for immediate action.

Furthermore, impacientar can describe a state of nervous anticipation that isn't necessarily negative. A child waiting for their birthday might be 'impacientado' (made impatient) by the sight of wrapped gifts. However, the primary usage remains centered on the erosion of composure. Linguistically, it functions similarly to verbs like 'gustar' or 'preocupar' when used transitively: [Subject/Cause] + [Indirect Object/Person] + [Verb]. 'Tu actitud me impacienta' (Your attitude makes me impatient). Understanding this structure is key for English speakers who might be tempted to translate 'I am getting impatient' directly as 'Estoy impacientando', which is a common error.

Transitive Usage: Focuses on the external cause: 'The noise makes me impatient.'
Reflexive Usage: Focuses on the internal state: 'I am becoming impatient.'

No dejes que los pequeños detalles te impacienten durante el proceso creativo.

Using impacientar correctly requires a grasp of Spanish verb transitivity and the distinction between causing a feeling and experiencing it. When you use impacientar as a transitive verb, the subject of the sentence is the thing or person causing the impatience, and the object is the person feeling it. This is a common pattern in Spanish for verbs of emotion (psych-verbs). For example, 'Su silencio me impacienta' (His silence makes me impatient). Here, 'su silencio' is the subject triggering the emotion in 'me' (the indirect object). This structure emphasizes the power of the external stimulus over the individual's emotional state.

Esa música repetitiva termina por impacientar incluso al hombre más tranquilo.

In contrast, the reflexive form impacientarse is used when the focus is on the person entering the state of impatience. 'Me impaciento cuando el tren llega tarde' (I get impatient when the train arrives late). Note that in the reflexive version, the person is the subject. Beginners often confuse these two. If you say 'Estoy impacientando', you are saying 'I am making (someone) impatient', which usually requires an object. If you mean 'I am getting impatient', you must say 'Me estoy impacientando'. This distinction is vital for clear communication in Spanish-speaking environments, as it changes the direction of the emotional causality.

The verb is also frequently used in the subjunctive mood, especially after expressions of emotion or influence. 'No quiero que te impacientes' (I don't want you to get impatient) or 'Me molesta que esta situación nos impaciente tanto' (It bothers me that this situation makes us so impatient). Because impatience is often viewed as a subjective reaction to a stimulus, it naturally fits into sentences expressing desire, doubt, or emotional response. In professional settings, you might hear it in the passive voice or with impersonal 'se': 'Se nota que la demora está impacientando a la junta directiva' (It's clear that the delay is making the board of directors impatient).

Common Structure 1: [Algo] impacienta a [Alguien]. (Something makes someone impatient.)
Common Structure 2: [Alguien] se impacienta por [Algo]. (Someone gets impatient because of something.)

¿Por qué dejas que un simple retraso te impaciente de esa manera?

You will encounter impacientar in a variety of real-world scenarios, ranging from the mundane to the highly formal. In everyday life, it is most common in the context of waiting. Imagine a crowded bus stop in Madrid or a long queue at a 'panadería' in Buenos Aires; you might hear someone mutter, 'Esta espera me está impacientando' (This wait is making me impatient). It is a standard way to express the rising tension of a delay. Parents use it frequently with children, often in the negative imperative: '¡No te impacientes, ya casi llegamos!' (Don't get impatient, we're almost there!). In these domestic settings, it serves as a tool for emotional regulation and setting expectations about time.

El tráfico de la hora punta suele impacientar a los conductores más experimentados.

In the business and political world, impacientar takes on a more strategic tone. Financial news reports often use it to describe market sentiment. For example, 'La falta de claridad sobre los tipos de interés impacienta a los mercados' (The lack of clarity on interest rates is making the markets impatient). Here, it isn't just a feeling; it's a precursor to action, suggesting that investors might start selling or changing strategies if things don't speed up. Similarly, in politics, a journalist might comment that 'La lentitud de la justicia impacienta a la ciudadanía' (The slowness of justice is making the citizens impatient), highlighting a collective social pressure building up against the status quo.

Literary and cinematic contexts also favor this word to build suspense. A narrator might describe a character's internal monologue: 'El tic-tac del reloj lo impacientaba, recordándole que el tiempo se agotaba' (The ticking of the clock made him impatient, reminding him that time was running out). It is a verb of atmosphere. In movies, you'll hear it in dialogues where one character is trying to provoke another or where a deadline is looming. It captures that specific 'itch' of wanting the future to arrive faster than the present allows. Whether it's a doctor's waiting room, a slow-loading website, or a long-winded storyteller, impacientar is the go-to verb for that universal human experience of time-based frustration.

Daily Life: Traffic, queues, slow service, waiting for news.
Professional: Market reactions, project delays, negotiations.

Escuchar la misma excusa una y otra vez terminó por impacientar al cliente.

One of the most frequent mistakes English speakers make with impacientar is the 'false friend' trap or direct translation errors from English idioms. In English, we say 'I am impatient.' In Spanish, you can say 'Soy impaciente' (as a personality trait) or 'Estoy impaciente' (as a temporary state). However, learners often try to use the verb impacientar where they should use the adjective impaciente. Saying 'Estoy impacientando' is grammatically incomplete; it sounds like 'I am making (someone) impatient' but leaves out who you are affecting. If you want to say 'I am getting impatient,' you must use the reflexive form: 'Me estoy impacientando'.

Error: Estoy impacientando por el bus.
Correcto: Me estoy impacientando por el bus.

Another common error is the misuse of prepositions. In English, we are impatient 'with' someone or 'for' something. In Spanish, the reflexive impacientarse usually takes the preposition 'por' or 'con'. For example, 'Me impaciento con mi hermano' (I get impatient with my brother) or 'Se impacienta por la tardanza' (He gets impatient because of the delay). Using 'de' or 'a' incorrectly here is a hallmark of a learner. Additionally, when using the transitive impacientar, remember that if the object is a specific person, you must use the 'personal a'. Example: 'La noticia impacientó a María' (The news made Maria impatient). Omitting that 'a' is a frequent grammatical slip-up.

Finally, learners sometimes over-rely on impacientar when other verbs might be more appropriate. If you are actually angry, 'enojar' or 'enfadar' is better. If you are just slightly worried, 'inquietar' might be the word. Impacientar is specifically about the 'hurry up' feeling. Also, be careful with word order in the transitive sense. Because Spanish allows flexible word order, 'Me impacientas tú' and 'Tú me impacientas' both mean 'You make me impatient,' but putting the subject at the end adds a specific emphasis on 'you' as the source of the problem. Mastering these nuances separates a B1 learner from a more advanced speaker.

Mistake: Missing Reflexive: Saying 'Ella impacienta' instead of 'Ella se impacienta' when she is the one feeling it.
Mistake: Wrong Adjective: Using 'impacientado' as a general adjective instead of 'impaciente'.

No confundas: 'Él es impaciente' (personality) con 'Él se impacienta' (action).

To truly master impacientar, it's helpful to understand its neighbors in the Spanish vocabulary. The most direct alternative is desesperar. While impacientar means to make someone lose patience, desesperar is much stronger—it means to drive someone to despair or to make them lose all hope/patience entirely. If impacientar is a 4 on the intensity scale, desesperar is an 8. You might be impacientado by a 5-minute delay, but you are desesperado by a 5-hour delay in the middle of a desert. Choosing between these two depends on the level of frustration you want to convey.

Impacientar vs. Desesperar: 'Impacientar' is about the loss of calm waiting; 'Desesperar' is about reaching the breaking point of frustration.

Tu indecisión me impacienta, pero tu mentira me desespera.

Another related verb is inquietar. This word focuses more on the 'restless' or 'worrying' aspect of impatience. If someone is late and you are worried something bad happened, you are inquieto. If you are just annoyed that they are wasting your time, you are impaciente. Inquietar is often used in more serious or intellectual contexts, such as 'Me inquieta el futuro de la economía' (The future of the economy worries/makes me restless). In contrast, impacientar is more about the immediate experience of time. There is also irritar, which is closer to 'to irritate' or 'to annoy'. While impacientar can lead to irritation, irritar can be caused by anything (a loud noise, a scratchy sweater), not just a delay.

In some regions, you might hear poner de los nervios (to get on someone's nerves) or sacar de quicio (to drive someone crazy). These are idiomatic expressions that cover the same emotional ground but with more color. 'Esta espera me está sacando de quicio' is a much more dramatic way of saying 'Esta espera me está impacientando'. When writing or speaking formally, however, impacientar remains the most precise and professional choice. It specifically points to the virtue of 'paciencia' being tested, which is a nuanced concept in Hispanic cultures where time and social interaction often have a more fluid relationship than in the English-speaking world.

Inquietar: To make restless or uneasy (often with a hint of worry).
Fastidiar: To annoy or bother (general irritation).

No es que me irrite, es simplemente que me impacienta no tener una respuesta clara.

How Formal Is It?

Formal

"La dilación en los trámites administrativos impacienta a los ciudadanos."

Neutral

"La espera en el médico me impacienta un poco."

Informal

"¡No me impacientes con tus tonterías!"

Child friendly

"No te impacientes, los Reyes Magos ya casi llegan."

Slang

"Me raya que te impacientes por nada."

Fun Fact

The word 'patience' and 'patient' (as in a hospital patient) share the same root because both involve 'suffering' or 'bearing' something.

Pronunciation Guide

UK /im.pa.θjenˈtar/

US /im.pa.sjenˈtar/

The stress is on the last syllable 'tar' because it is an infinitive ending in 'r'.

Rhymes With

cantar hablar llegar esperar mirar pensar amar saltar

Common Errors

Pronouncing the 'i' as an English 'eye' instead of 'ee'.
Stress on the 'cien' instead of 'tar'.
Swallowing the 'm' at the beginning.
Making the 't' aspirated (like in English 'tea') instead of dental.
Pronouncing 'p' with too much air.

Difficulty Rating

Reading 3/5

Easy to recognize because of the English cognate 'impatient'.

Writing 5/5

Tricky to remember the transitive vs reflexive distinction.

Speaking 4/5

Requires correct object pronoun placement (me/te/le).

Listening 3/5

Clear pronunciation, though 'cien' can be fast.

What to Learn Next

Prerequisites

paciencia esperar tarde tiempo molestar

Learn Next

desesperar inquietar exasperar agobiar tolerar

Advanced

conmiseración estoicismo presteza dilación parsimonia

Grammar to Know

Verbs of Emotion + Subjunctive

Me impacienta que (tú) llegues tarde.

Reflexive Verbs for Internal States

Yo me impaciento (I get impatient).

Personal 'a' with Direct/Indirect Objects

El ruido impacienta a los animales.

Position of Object Pronouns

Me está impacientando / Está impacientándome.

Infinitive as Subject

Esperar tanto tiempo me impacienta.

Examples by Level

La espera me impacienta.

The wait makes me impatient.

Transitive use: [Subject] + [Object Pronoun] + [Verb].

No me impacienta esperar un poco.

Waiting a little doesn't make me impatient.

Negative sentence with 'no'.

El tráfico impacienta a mi padre.

Traffic makes my father impatient.

Personal 'a' used before 'mi padre'.

¿Te impacienta esta música?

Does this music make you impatient?

Interrogative form.

El ruido me impacienta mucho.

The noise makes me very impatient.

Adverb 'mucho' modifying the verb.

La cola larga impacienta a la gente.

The long line makes people impatient.

Standard subject-verb-object order.

Mi hermano se impacienta rápido.

My brother gets impatient quickly.

Reflexive use: 'se impacienta'.

No te impacientes, por favor.

Don't get impatient, please.

Negative imperative (subjunctive).

Me impacienta que el bus no llegue.

It makes me impatient that the bus doesn't arrive.

Subjunctive used after 'que' because it expresses emotion.

El niño se impacienta cuando tiene hambre.

The child gets impatient when he is hungry.

Reflexive verb 'impacientarse'.

Tus preguntas me impacientan a veces.

Your questions make me impatient sometimes.

Plural subject 'preguntas'.

Ella nunca se impacienta en el trabajo.

She never gets impatient at work.

Adverb 'nunca' with reflexive verb.

La lentitud del cajero me impacienta.

The cashier's slowness makes me impatient.

Noun phrase as subject.

Nos impacienta esperar tanto tiempo.

It makes us impatient to wait so long.

Infinitive 'esperar' as the cause of impatience.

¿Por qué te impacientas tanto?

Why do you get so impatient?

Reflexive question.

La película es lenta y me impacienta.

The movie is slow and it makes me impatient.

Compound sentence.

Lo que más me impacienta es la falta de puntualidad.

What makes me most impatient is the lack of punctuality.

Relative clause 'Lo que...' as the subject.

No dejes que los problemas te impacienten.

Don't let problems make you impatient.

Imperative 'dejes' followed by subjunctive.

Me impacienté mucho durante la entrevista.

I got very impatient during the interview.

Preterite tense of reflexive verb.

Si te impacientas, cometerás errores.

If you get impatient, you will make mistakes.

Conditional sentence 'Si + present, future'.

La actitud de su jefe lo impacientaba a diario.

His boss's attitude used to make him impatient daily.

Imperfect tense for habitual action.

Espero que no se impacienten con el retraso.

I hope they don't get impatient with the delay.

Present subjunctive after 'espero que'.

Me impacienta no saber la verdad todavía.

It makes me impatient not knowing the truth yet.

Negative infinitive 'no saber'.

Se impacientó al ver que nadie venía.

He got impatient upon seeing that nobody was coming.

Preterite reflexive with 'al + infinitive'.

La ambigüedad de sus respuestas terminó por impacientar al jurado.

The ambiguity of his answers ended up making the jury impatient.

Periphrasis 'terminar por + infinitive'.

Cualquier pequeña demora suele impacientar a los inversores.

Any small delay usually makes investors impatient.

Use of 'sueler' to express habit.

Me habría impacientado si hubiera tenido que esperar más.

I would have gotten impatient if I had had to wait longer.

Conditional perfect with pluperfect subjunctive.

No es bueno impacientarse por cosas que no podemos controlar.

It's not good to get impatient over things we can't control.

Impersonal 'es bueno' followed by infinitive.

La falta de resultados comenzó a impacientar a la directiva.

The lack of results began to make the board impatient.

Ingressive periphrasis 'comenzar a + infinitive'.

Te pido que no te impacientes ante las dificultades.

I ask you not to get impatient in the face of difficulties.

Subjunctive after verb of request 'pido que'.

Lo que me impacienta de él es su constante indecisión.

What makes me impatient about him is his constant indecision.

Structure 'Lo que me impacienta de [persona]'.

Se han impacientado debido a la mala organización del evento.

They have gotten impatient due to the poor organization of the event.

Present perfect reflexive.

El cariz que tomaban los acontecimientos empezó a impacientar al gobierno.

The turn that events were taking began to make the government impatient.

Formal vocabulary 'cariz' and 'acontecimientos'.

No conviene impacientar a quien tiene el poder de decidir.

It is not advisable to make the person who has the power to decide impatient.

Impersonal 'no conviene'.

Su prosa, aunque bella, puede llegar a impacientar al lector ávido de acción.

His prose, though beautiful, can end up making the reader eager for action impatient.

Concessive clause 'aunque bella'.

Se impacientaba por momentos, incapaz de contener su curiosidad.

He was getting more and more impatient by the moment, unable to contain his curiosity.

Imperfect reflexive expressing gradual state.

Nada impacienta más a un erudito que una argumentación falaz.

Nothing makes a scholar more impatient than a fallacious argument.

Comparative structure with 'nada'.

La demora en la entrega de los suministros impacientó sobremanera a los ingenieros.

The delay in the delivery of supplies exceedingly made the engineers impatient.

Adverb 'sobremanera' (exceedingly).

Apenas hubo comenzado el discurso, la audiencia se impacientó.

Hardly had the speech begun when the audience got impatient.

Formal 'apenas hubo + participle'.

Es imperativo que no permitas que la rutina te impaciente.

It is imperative that you do not allow routine to make you impatient.

Double subjunctive structure.

La parsimonia del funcionario acabó por impacientar al más pintado.

The official's sluggishness ended up making even the most patient person impatient.

Idiom 'al más pintado' (even the best/most capable).

Cualquier atisbo de duda en su voz impacientaba a sus seguidores.

Any hint of doubt in his voice made his followers impatient.

Nuanced subject 'atisbo de duda'.

Se impacientaba ante la vacuidad de los debates parlamentarios.

He would get impatient at the emptiness of the parliamentary debates.

Formal noun 'vacuidad' (emptiness/inanity).

No es mi intención impacientar a la audiencia con tecnicismos innecesarios.

It is not my intention to make the audience impatient with unnecessary technicalities.

Polite introductory phrase.

La sibilina respuesta del oráculo no hizo sino impacientar al rey.

The oracle's sibylline response did nothing but make the king impatient.

Structure 'no hizo sino + infinitive'.

Basta un leve retraso para impacientar a una sociedad acostumbrada a la inmediatez.

A slight delay is enough to make a society accustomed to immediacy impatient.

Structure 'Basta X para Y'.

A riesgo de impacientar a mis lectores, debo profundizar en este punto.

At the risk of making my readers impatient, I must delve deeper into this point.

Prepositional phrase 'A riesgo de'.

Se impacientaba sobremanera cuando el azar desbarataba sus planes.

He became exceedingly impatient whenever chance thwarted his plans.

Verb 'desbaratar' (to thwart/mess up).

Common Collocations

impacientar al público

impacientar a los mercados

impacientar al lector

empezar a impacientar

terminar por impacientar

no dejarse impacientar

impacientar a la directiva

impacientar a los vecinos

impacientar el ánimo

lograr impacientar

Common Phrases

No me impacientes

— Don't make me impatient (stop doing what you're doing).

Deja de jugar con las llaves, no me impacientes.

Me estoy impacientando

— I am getting impatient (reflexive use).

Date prisa, que me estoy impacientando.

Sin impacientarse

— Without getting impatient; calmly.

Hay que esperar el resultado sin impacientarse.

Es fácil impacientarse

— It's easy to get impatient.

En medio del tráfico, es fácil impacientarse.

Hacer impacientar

— To cause someone to become impatient.

Su indecisión suele hacer impacientar a sus amigos.

Para no impacientar

— In order not to make (someone) impatient.

Le envié un mensaje para no impacientar a mi madre.

Empezar a impacientarse

— To start getting impatient.

Los niños empezaron a impacientarse en el coche.

No hay por qué impacientarse

— There's no reason to get impatient.

Tranquilo, no hay por qué impacientarse todavía.

Se impacienta por nada

— He/she gets impatient over nothing.

Es un hombre muy nervioso, se impacienta por nada.

Tratar de no impacientar

— To try not to make (someone) impatient.

Trato de no impacientar a mi jefe con mis dudas.

Often Confused With

impacientar vs impaciente

Impaciente is the adjective (I am impatient), while impacientar is the verb (to make impatient).

impacientar vs esperar

Esperar means 'to wait' or 'to hope'. Impacientar is the negative feeling that happens *while* waiting.

impacientar vs desesperar

Desesperar is much stronger, meaning to drive to despair or absolute loss of control.

Idioms & Expressions

"Sacar de quicio"

— To drive someone crazy or make them lose their cool entirely.

Tu desorden me saca de quicio.

informal

"Poner de los nervios"

— To get on someone's nerves.

Ese ruidito me pone de los nervios.

informal

"Perder los estribos"

— To lose one's temper (often after being made impatient).

Después de esperar tres horas, perdió los estribos.

neutral

"Acabársele a uno la paciencia"

— To run out of patience.

Se me está acabando la paciencia contigo.

neutral

"Estar con los nervios a flor de piel"

— To be very edgy or close to losing patience.

Hoy está con los nervios a flor de piel, no lo impacientes.

neutral

"Hacer perder los papeles"

— To make someone lose their composure.

Su mala educación me hizo perder los papeles.

neutral

"Subirse por las paredes"

— To be climbing the walls (extremely restless/impatient).

Está que se sube por las paredes esperando el resultado.

informal

"No ver la hora de"

— To be unable to wait for something (positive impatience).

No veo la hora de irme de vacaciones.

neutral

"Estar en un sinvivir"

— To be in a state of constant anxiety or restlessness.

Esta incertidumbre es un sinvivir.

literary/informal

"Tener hormiguillo"

— To have 'the itch' or feel restless/impatient.

Tiene hormiguillo por empezar el nuevo proyecto.

informal

Easily Confused

impacientar vs importunar

Sounds slightly similar and involves bothering someone.

Importunar is to pester someone with requests; impacientar is to make them lose patience due to time.

No quiero importunarlo con preguntas, pero su tardanza me impacienta.

impacientar vs inquietar

Both involve a lack of calm.

Inquietar involves worry or unease; impacientar is specifically about the desire for something to happen faster.

Me inquieta su salud, pero me impacienta que el médico no llegue.

impacientar vs molestar

Both describe a negative reaction to a stimulus.

Molestar is general annoyance; impacientar is specifically about the depletion of patience.

Me molesta el ruido, pero me impacienta que no paren de trabajar.

impacientar vs enfadar

Impatience can lead to anger.

Enfadar is to make angry; impacientar is the step before anger, focusing on restlessness.

No me impacientes, porque me voy a enfadar.

impacientar vs agobiar

Both involve feeling stressed.

Agobiar is to feel overwhelmed or smothered; impacientar is to feel restless because of a delay.

Me agobia el exceso de trabajo, y me impacienta no terminarlo a tiempo.

Sentence Patterns

Sujeto + me impacienta.

La lluvia me impacienta.

No + te impacientes.

No te impacientes, por favor.

Me impacienta que + subjuntivo.

Me impacienta que no llames.

Se impacienta con + sustantivo.

Se impacienta con el tráfico.

Terminar por + impacientar a + alguien.

La película terminó por impacientar al público.

Estar + impacientándose.

Nos estamos impacientando.

Lo que + me impacienta + de + alguien.

Lo que me impacienta de él es su lentitud.

A riesgo de + impacientar.

A riesgo de impacientar a los presentes, diré la verdad.

Word Family

Nouns

Verbs

Adjectives

How to Use It

frequency

Common in both spoken and written Spanish.

Common Mistakes

Estoy impacientando. → Me estoy impacientando.
Without the reflexive 'me', the sentence is incomplete. It sounds like you are making someone else impatient but don't say who.
La espera me impaciente. → La espera me impacienta.
Confusing the indicative 'impacienta' with the subjunctive 'impaciente' in a simple statement.
Él es muy impacientado. → Él es muy impaciente.
Using the past participle as a general personality adjective instead of the actual adjective 'impaciente'.
Me impacienta que él llega tarde. → Me impacienta que él llegue tarde.
Failing to use the subjunctive after a verb of emotion.
No impacientes mi hermano. → No impacientes a mi hermano.
Missing the 'personal a' before a human direct object.

Tips

Transitive vs Reflexive

Always check if you are the cause or the one feeling the emotion. If you are the cause, use 'impacientar'. If you are feeling it, use 'impacientarse'.

Root Recognition

Remember the root 'paciencia'. If you know 'patience', you know 'impacientar'. This makes it a high-value word for English speakers.

Stress the End

In Spanish, infinitives like 'impacientar' always have the stress on the final syllable. Don't say im-pa-CIEN-tar, say im-pa-cien-TAR.

Subjunctive Alert

When using 'Me impacienta que...', the next verb MUST be in the subjunctive. 'Me impacienta que no VENGAS' (not vienes).

Context Matters

In formal settings, using 'impacientar' shows a higher level of Spanish than just saying 'no me gusta esperar'.

The 'Im' Prefix

The prefix 'im-' always negates. Impacientar = to un-patience someone. It’s like removing their ability to wait.

Avoid Repetition

If you've already used 'impaciente' in a paragraph, switch to the verb 'impacientar' to vary your sentence structure.

Wait for the 'a'

If you are making a specific person impatient, don't forget the personal 'a': 'Impacienté a mi madre'.

Listen for the 'se'

In movies, characters often say '¡No te impacientes!'. Listen for that 'te'—it's the reflexive marker.

Not 'Impacientar de'

Avoid saying 'me impaciento de ti'. Use 'me impaciento contigo' or 'me impacientas tú'.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'im-' (not) + 'patient'. To 'impacientar' is to make someone 'not patient'.

Visual Association

Imagine a ticking clock that is growing teeth and biting someone's nerves. That clock is 'impacientando' the person.

Word Web

paciencia retraso espera nervios reloj tráfico cola ansiedad

Challenge

Try to identify three things today that 'te impacientan' (make you impatient) and say them out loud in Spanish.

Word Origin

From the Latin 'im-' (negative prefix) + 'patientia' (the quality of suffering or enduring). The root 'pati' means 'to suffer' or 'to endure'.

Original meaning: Originally related to the inability to endure suffering or wait without distress.

Romance (Latin root).

Cultural Context

Be careful using it with elders; telling an older person 'no te impacientes' can sometimes sound dismissive or rude.

English speakers often use 'frustrate' where Spanish speakers specifically use 'impacientar' for time-related issues.

Mariano José de Larra's essay 'Vuelva usted mañana' deals with the themes of bureaucratic delays that impacientar the protagonist. Numerous boleros and tangos use 'impaciencia' to describe the longing for a lover. Commonly used in news headlines regarding 'la Bolsa' (the stock market).

Practice in Real Life

Real-World Contexts

Waiting for public transport

El metro se está retrasando y me impacienta.
No dejes que el bus te impaciente.
Me impacienta esperar bajo la lluvia.
¿Te impacienta la espera?

Interpersonal relationships

Tu falta de respuesta me impacienta.
No quiero impacientarte, pero tenemos prisa.
Se impacienta mucho con sus hijos.
Me impacienta que no me digas la verdad.

Work/Professional

El cliente se está impacientando por el informe.
No conviene impacientar al jefe.
La falta de presupuesto nos impacienta.
Se nota que la reunión los está impacientando.

Learning/Education

No te impacientes si no entiendes la gramática.
Aprender un idioma requiere no impacientarse.
El profesor se impacienta si no hacemos la tarea.
Me impacienta no ver progresos rápidos.

Health/Doctor's Office

La sala de espera suele impacientar a los pacientes.
No se impaciente, el doctor lo verá pronto.
Me impacienta esperar los resultados del análisis.
Estar enfermo impacienta a cualquiera.

Conversation Starters

"¿Qué es lo que más te impacienta de vivir en una gran ciudad?"

"¿Sueles impacientarte cuando alguien no responde a tus mensajes de inmediato?"

"¿Crees que la tecnología nos ha hecho impacientarnos más que antes?"

"¿Qué haces para no impacientarte cuando hay mucho tráfico?"

"¿Te impacientan las personas que hablan demasiado despacio?"

Journal Prompts

Describe una situación reciente en la que algo te impacientó mucho. ¿Cómo reaccionaste?

Escribe sobre una persona que nunca parece impacientarse. ¿Cómo crees que lo logra?

¿Qué aspectos de tu trabajo o estudios te impacientan más y por qué?

Reflexiona sobre cómo ha cambiado tu nivel de paciencia en los últimos cinco años.

Escribe una carta ficticia a alguien que te está haciendo esperar, explicando por qué te impacienta su actitud.

Frequently Asked Questions

10 questions

No. It is transitive when something makes someone else impatient ('El ruido me impacienta') and reflexive when someone becomes impatient ('Me impaciento').

Yes, but it's less common. You could say 'Los regalos impacientan a los niños', meaning they are excited and can't wait.

'Estoy impaciente' describes your current state (I am impatient). 'Me impaciento' describes the action of becoming impatient.

You wouldn't use 'impacientar' for that idiom directly, but 'me impacientas' is a close equivalent in meaning.

Both are correct. 'Por' is usually for the cause (por el retraso) and 'con' is for the person (con mi hermano).

Yes, it follows the regular conjugation for -ar verbs.

It is grammatically possible as a result of an action, but 'estoy impaciente' is much more natural.

The best opposites are 'tranquilizar', 'calmar', or 'sosegar'.

Yes, when used after expressions of emotion like 'Me impacienta que...' or 'Es triste que...'.

Yes, it is used throughout the Spanish-speaking world, though some regions might prefer 'desesperar' or idioms.