We have been waited for an hour.

Question

Please hurry up! We have been waited for an hour.Please hurry up! We have been waiting for an hour.Hi,Do both of the above sound good though they mean differently?Thanks.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Only this one is English: Please hurry up! We have been waiting for an hour.

Delmobile · Answer

The first is incorrect. You can be labeled, or short-listed, or cheated, but these are things other people do to you. If you are the ones doing the waiting, you can't be "waited."

Please hurry up! We've been ignored for an hour. We've been delayed for an hour.

Ivanhr · Answer

Perhaps with the first sentence you meant 'Please hurry up! We have kept people waiting for an hour'

Angliholic · Answer

IvanhrPerhaps with the first sentence you meant 'Please hurry up! We have kept people waiting for an hour'

Thanks to all of you!

Yes, that's what the first sentence tries to convey. Doesn't it make sense?

Please hurry up! We have been waited (by others) for an hour.

Khoff · Answer

No.  You can sometimes use "awaited" -- "your arrival has been eagerly awaited" but in your sentence even "awaited" would not sound natural.  You need to say something like,"Please hurry up!  They've been waiting for us for an hour already!"  Or "we have kept people waiting for an hour."

CalifJim · Answer

AngliholicDoesn't it make sense?

Please hurry up! We have been waited (by others) for an hour.

No. It doesn't make sense. It's either of these, and the first is much better:

We have been waiting for an hour.

We have been made to wait for an hour.

CJ

Delmobile · Answer

I know this isn't what you want, but you could say, "We've been expected for an hour."

Angliholic · Answer

Thanks, all of my helpful friends.

But I'm still a bit confused. Why doesn't the following sound right?

We have been waited by others for an hour.

Isn't it the passive voice of the following? If the following is right, then why is the above wrong?

Others have waited for us for an hour.

Mister Micawber · Answer

We have been waited for by others for an hour.

CalifJim · Answer

AngliholicBut I'm still a bit confused. Why doesn't the following sound right?

We have been waited by others for an hour.

You can visit others. You can invite others. You can admire others. But you can't *wait others.

Therefore,
People can be visited by you. People can be invited by you. People can be admired by you. But people can't *be waited by you.
____

As Mr. M. points out, certain constructions require a verb and a preposition. In these cases, you need the preposition in both the active and the passive versions.

You can look at someone. You can listen to someone. You can wait for someone.

Therefore,
A person can be looked at (by someone else). A person can be listened to (by someone else). A person can be waited for (by someone else).

(But frankly, the expression to be waited for is not often used. For the passive we often switch to the verb expect. We are expected by the others is very much like The others are waiting for us.)

CJ

We have been waited for an hour.

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