This is the 2409th most frequent Korean word.
기다려야
"기다려야" means "must wait" or "have to wait."
Here, '기다려야' is used to express a necessity to wait until a specific action ('the train arriving') occurs.
기차가 올 때까지 기다려야 해요.
You have to wait until the train arrives.
In this sentence, '기다려야' shows a past obligation to wait until a certain condition ('the rain stopping') was met.
비가 그칠 때까지 기다려야 했습니다.
We had to wait until the rain stopped.
This use of '기다려야' indicates a future necessity to wait for a resolution of a situation.