What does the final て in 待ってて signify?


In this scene a young girl, Yotsuba, drops in on her neighbors for some
breakfast. The mother who's cooking breakfast says:

> 「今お父さんの焼いてるからその次ねー。ちょっと待っててー。」

So I guess she's preparing her husbands food first, and tells Yotsuba to hang
on for a minute.

But why didn't she just say ちょっと待って?

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Like Mark says, it's short for 待っていて, which is the て-form of 待っている. I think
it's a little softer than saying ちょっと待って, and since Yotsuba is not one of the
family, the mother is being a little more polite. Saying ちょっと待って can sound a
little short. The meaning changes with the extra て, but I can't describe how
it changes well. Something like "please be there waiting".




Like Mark says, it's short for 待っていて, which is the て-form of 待っている. I think
it's a little softer than saying ちょっと待って, and since Yotsuba is not one of the
family, the mother is being a little more polite. Saying ちょっと待って can sound a
little short. The meaning changes with the extra て, but I can't describe how
it changes well. Something like "please be there waiting".

