Ch 38 · Lesson 17Spanish · Chapter 38 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
Ojalá and como si: hopes and as if
, , : the tense says how reachable the hope is. And , which always takes a past subjunctive.
The short version
After
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never changes, and the verb after it is always subjunctive. The present keeps the hope open: . The imperfect wishes for something unlikely or untrue now: . The pluperfect regrets the past: .
always takes a past subjunctive
.
Why?Hide
what is true with something imagined, so it takes the imperfect subjunctive, whatever the main verb: . For something earlier, the pluperfect subjunctive: . and are both wrong.
Ojalá: how reachable is the hope?
comes from an Arabic phrase meaning "if God wills", and it never changes. The verb after it is always subjunctive, and its tense says how reachable the hope is:
- Ojalá venga.I hope he/she comes
- Ojalá viniera.I wish he/she would come
- Ojalá hubiera venido.I wish he/she had come
| Hope | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| still open | . | I hope it rains tomorrow. |
| unlikely now | . | I wish he/she were here. |
| unreal | . | I wish I had more time. |
| too late | . | I wish he/she had come. |
In much of Latin America, + imperfect subjunctive can also be a plain open hope: . - I hope he/she comes tomorrow.
means the same: . - I hope we win. The full subjunctive after wishes page has the live version of this hope.
Como si: as if
compares what is true with something imagined, so it always takes a past subjunctive, whatever the main verb:
| Compared with | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| now | . | He/She talks as if he/she knew everything. |
| now | . | He spends money as if he were rich. |
| earlier | . | He/She looked at me as if he/she had seen a ghost. |
The imperfect subjunctive compares with the same moment; the pluperfect subjunctive with something before it. The indicative ( ) and the present subjunctive ( ) are both wrong. Its forms are on the imperfect subjunctive.
Going further: Set phrases at a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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