We've been expecting you.

Expect是‘期待’的意思，We've been expecting you.是‘我们期待你出现’，例如你在餐厅订了位，到达时侍应会向你说：We've been expecting you.(我们在等待你来临)。有时候，这句话也可带点讽刺性，例如你约了朋友，但他迟了很久，你可说We've been expecting you. Expect / expecting. 是期待某些事发生，但发生的可能性是不知道的，例如：I expect you are angry with me, because I ate your rabbit.(我期望你会生气，因为我把你的兔子吃掉)，但对方不一定会生气，又例如：I'm expecting a lot of presents on my birthday.(我期待收到很多生日礼物)，但收到多少还是未知之数。许多父母都‘望子成龙，望女成凤’，英文可以说：We are expecting great things from her.(我们期望她长大后会有成就)。

对话

A: We've been expecting you all night. Where have you been?

B: Oh, I'm really sorry. I got lost.

A: You must be kidding. You've been here over a hundred times.

B: Yes, but each time I took a taxi. This time I drove here myself.

甲：我们等待你整晚，你去了哪里?

乙：噢，真对不起，我迷路了。

甲：你一定在开玩笑，你已来过这儿超过一百次。

乙：对呀，但我每次都是坐出租车来，这次是我自己开车来。

说等候某人或某事物来临，英文常用expect(期待)一字，而且多用进行时式(continuous tense)，例如：(1) I'm expecting visitors tomorrow.(明天我会有客人来访)。(2) I'm expecting a letter from my mother.(我在等待母亲寄来的一封信)。要说期待某人随时来临，英文是I'm expecting him / her any minute。

有时，你会听到My wife is expecting. 这样的话。那也是期待有人降临，但降临的是婴儿。换言之，‘我妻子怀孕了’。这个expecting之后可加a baby两字，例如：My wife is expecting a baby; I have to make some preparations. (我妻子怀孕了，我得准备一下)。An expectant mother就是‘孕妇’，an expectant则是‘快为人父者’。

Expect一字的用法，还有一点特别值得注意。请比较以下两句：(1)I expect (that) you will go; (2)I expect you to go。这两句意思有分别吗? 按expect之后用 ‘that +子句(clause)’，是‘想’或‘认为’的意思，例如：I expect (that) it will rain soon.(我想，快要下雨了)。Expect之后用‘受词 (object) + to +原形动词 (infinitive)’，则是‘要某人做某事’或‘某人有责任做某事’的意思，例如：I expect you to clean the room.　(我要你清洁这个房间)。所以I expect you will go. 和I expect you to go. 不同，一是说‘我想，你会去’，一是说‘我要你去’