They put me on hold.
Stress 'at-TE-sa'. 'Messa' or 'messo' depending on the speaker's gender.
Use this when telling someone you're currently on hold with a company or service. You can also use it to complain about being left on hold for too long.
'Mettere in attesa' = to put on hold. 'Mi ha messo' = they put me (perfect tense). 'Attesa' = wait/hold. 'Essere in attesa' = to be on hold/waiting. Italian customer service ('servizio clienti') calls often involve significant hold times.
Sono ancora in attesa.
I'm still on hold.
Expressing ongoing wait.
Ho aspettato venti minuti.
I waited twenty minutes.
Reporting wait time.
Ho riattaccato dopo mezz'ora di attesa.
I hung up after half an hour on hold.
When you give up waiting.
Hold music ('musica di attesa') in Italian companies is famously variable — some play classical music, others use cheerful pop. Italian banks and utilities ('banche e utenze') are notorious for long hold times. The Italian expression for this frustration: 'Sto ancora aspettando!' (I'm still waiting!)