The expression “ojalá” is derived from the Arabic influence on the Spanish language and is used to express hope that something would happen or would have happened. “Ojalá” is always followed by a verb tense in the subjunctive mood.
In this summary, we will cover the use of “ojalá” in Spanish in the following tenses:
1. The Present Subjunctive
In the present subjunctive, “ojalá” translates roughly as “hopefully” to express hope for something, that is possible, to happen in the present or the future, for example:
| Ojalá que no llueva esta noche. | Hopefully, it won’t rain tonight. |
| Ojalá que venga mi hermano hoy. | Hopefully, my brother will come today. |
2. The Imperfect Subjunctive
“Ojalá” can also be used along with the imperfect subjunctive to express hope that something, that is unlikely or improbable, would happen in the present or the future, for example:
| Ojalá que pudiéramos ganar mucho dinero en un año. | I wish we could make a lot of money in one year. |
| Ojalá que viniera mi hermano hoy, pero siempre está ocupado. | I wish my brother would come today, but he is always busy. |
3. The Perfect Subjunctive
The expression “ojalá” can also be used with the perfect subjunctive to hope that something, that is possible to happen, has happened in the past, for example:
| Ojalá que haya llegado mi amigo a pesar del tráfico. | I hope that my friend has arrived despite the traffic. |
| Ojalá que ya hayan arreglado la tele. | I hope that they have already fixed the TV. |
Although less common, “ojalá” can also be used with the perfect subjunctive to hope that something, that is possible to happen, will have happened at some point in the future, for example:
| Ojalá que haya llegado mi amigo para la próxima semana. | I hope that my friend will have arrived by next week. |
| Ojalá que ya hayan arreglado la tele para mañana. | I hope that they will have fixed the TV by tomorrow. |
4. The Pluperfect Subjunctive
The expression “ojalá” can also be used with the pluperfect subjunctive to wish that something, that is impossible to happen, would have happened in the past, for example:
| Ojalá yo hubiera estudiado medicina. | I wish I had studied medicine. |
| Ojalá mi abuelo no hubiera muerto. | I wish my grandfather hadn’t died. |
Summary
We can summarize the use cases of “ojalá” in the following table with the verb “ser” as an example:
| Present or Future | Past | |
| Possible or Probable | Present Subjunctive e.g., Ojalá (que) sea … | Perfect Subjunctive e.g., Ojalá (que) haya sido … |
| Impossible or Improbable | Imperfect Subjunctive e.g., Ojalá (que) fuera … | Pluperfect Subjunctive e.g., Ojalá (que) hubiera sido … |
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