Spanish Word of the Day Archive
Tuesday July 17, 2007

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ojalá, exclamation:
I hope, if only

This is another word which originates from Arabic (O Allah!) Originally it might have been used in fervent prayer, but now it means little more than I hope or the slightly more emotional if only. Don’t forget the upside down exclamation mark at the beginning and be careful to use a verb in the correct tense of the subjunctive after ¡ojalá!

¡Ojalá Toni venga hoy!
I hope Toni comes today!

(present subjunctive of venir)

¡Ojalá pudiera!
If only I could!

(past subjunctive of poder)

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