ojalá
See also: Ojala
Spanish
editEtymology
editInherited from Old Spanish oxalá, from Arabic لَوْ شَاءَ اللّٰهُ (law šāʔa allāhu, “and may God will it”). Compare Arabic إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ (ʔin šāʔa llāhu).
Pronunciation
editAdverb
editojalá
- hopefully (I hope that)
- if only
- El gato ha estado escondiéndose debajo del sofá desde que se levantaron los niños. Ojalá yo pudiera hacer lo mismo.
- The cat has been hiding under the couch since the kids woke up. If only I could do the same.
Interjection
editojalá
- I hope so; let's hope so
- God willing
- I hope (that); let's hope (that) (followed by present subjunctive)
- God grant (that) (followed by present subjunctive)
- I wish (when used to refer to past events)
Descendants
edit- → Portuguese: oxalá
Further reading
edit- “ojalá”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014