Spanish phrase of the week

Ojalá

I hope so, if only

B1, intermediateYou can get by in most everyday and travel situations, follow the main points when people speak clearly about familiar things, and talk about your experiences and plans.

How to use it

Ojalá expresses a wish. On its own it means “I hope so” or “if only”. In a sentence, the verb after it goes in the subjunctive.

The present subjunctive is for things that could still happen: ojalá llueva, I hope it rains. The imperfect subjunctive is for things that probably won’t: ojalá tuviera más tiempo, if only I had more time.

You don’t need que after it, though you’ll sometimes hear ojalá que. For GCSE and A-level speaking exams it’s a simple way to bring the subjunctive in naturally.

Examples

  • Ojalá haga buen tiempo el sábado.

    I hope the weather's good on Saturday.

  • Ojalá pudiera ir.

    I wish I could go.

  • Ojalá nos veamos pronto.

    Hopefully we'll see each other soon.

Good to know

Ojalá comes from Arabic, from a phrase meaning 'if God wills'. It's one of thousands of Spanish words that date back to al-Andalus.

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