Ojalá el polen no me molestara tanto, porque me encanta sentarme allí y mirar las palomas.

Because ojalá often introduces a wish, and when the wish is about something unreal, unlikely, or contrary to the current situation, Spanish usually uses the imperfect subjunctive.

So:

• Ojalá el polen no me molestara tanto = I wish pollen didn’t bother me so much

The speaker is not just stating a fact. They are expressing a wish about a situation that is currently true: pollen does bother them.

Compare:

• El polen no me molesta = Pollen doesn’t bother me → simple statement
• Ojalá el polen no me molestara = I wish pollen didn’t bother me → wish

In Spain, you may also hear molestase instead of molestara. Both are correct:

• molestara
• molestase

They mean the same thing here.

Ojalá means something like:

• I hope
• If only
• I wish

The exact English translation depends on the grammar that follows it.

In this sentence, because it is followed by the imperfect subjunctive (molestara), the sense is I wish / if only.

A useful pattern is:

• Ojalá + present subjunctive → hope about the future
  
  • Ojalá no llueva mañana = I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow
• Ojalá + imperfect subjunctive → wish about the present / something contrary to reality
  
  • Ojalá no lloviera = I wish it weren’t raining / I wish it didn’t rain
• Ojalá + pluperfect subjunctive → regret about the past
  
  • Ojalá no hubiera llovido = I wish it hadn’t rained

Me means me: bother me.

The verb is molestar = to bother / annoy.

So:

• El polen me molesta = Pollen bothers me
• El polen no me molestara tanto = Pollen didn’t bother me so much

The structure is:

• something
  • molestar
    • someone

Examples:

• El ruido me molesta = The noise bothers me
• La luz te molesta = The light bothers you
• Los gatos no la molestan = Cats don’t bother her

So in your sentence, el polen is the thing causing the annoyance, and me is the person affected.

Tanto here means so much.

So:

• no me molestara tanto = didn’t bother me so much

It adds degree or intensity.

Compare:

• El polen me molesta = Pollen bothers me
• El polen me molesta mucho = Pollen bothers me a lot
• Ojalá el polen no me molestara tanto = I wish pollen didn’t bother me so much

Here tanto fits naturally because the speaker is comparing the real level of annoyance with the level they wish it were.

Because the verb needed here is sentarse, not sentar.

• sentarse = to sit down / to sit oneself
• sentar = usually to seat someone/something, or in some contexts to suit someone

So:

• Me encanta sentarme allí = I love sitting down there / I love to sit there
• Sentar by itself would usually not express I sit myself in this way

Examples:

• Voy a sentarme = I’m going to sit down
• Me senté en el banco = I sat down on the bench

But:

• Voy a sentar al niño = I’m going to seat the child
• Ese color te sienta bien = That colour suits you

So sentarme is the correct form because the speaker is the one sitting down.

Because sentarme is an infinitive, and object/reflexive pronouns can be attached to an infinitive.

So these are both possible:

• Me encanta sentarme allí
• Me encanta sentar me allí ❌ not possible
• Me encanta sentarme allí ✅
• Me encanta sentarme / Me encanta sentarme allí ✅

With an infinitive, the pronoun is normally attached to the end:

• sentar + me = sentarme
• mirar + las palomas has no pronoun, so nothing is attached there

A related pattern:

• Quiero sentarme = I want to sit down
• Voy a sentarme = I’m going to sit down

Because after encantar, Spanish often uses an infinitive to say what someone loves doing.

So:

• Me encanta sentarme allí y mirar las palomas = I love sitting there and watching the pigeons

Both actions are things the speaker loves:

1. sentarme allí = sitting there
2. mirar las palomas = watching the pigeons

This is very normal in Spanish:

• Me encanta leer = I love reading
• Me encanta pasear y escuchar música = I love walking and listening to music
• Me encanta sentarme allí y mirar las palomas = I love sitting there and watching the pigeons

Both can relate to sight, but they are not the same.

• ver = to see
• mirar = to look at / watch

In this sentence, mirar makes sense because the speaker is deliberately looking at the pigeons.

So:

• mirar las palomas = look at / watch the pigeons

If you said ver las palomas, that would be more like see the pigeons. That can also be possible in some contexts, but mirar better matches the idea of sitting there and actively watching them.

Allí usually means there / over there, often a bit farther away or more detached than ahí.

A simple rough guide:

• aquí = here
• ahí = there (near the person you’re speaking to, or at a medium distance)
• allí = there / over there (farther away)

So sentarme allí suggests sit over there or sit there in a place a little removed from the speaker’s current position.

In real life, the exact difference can be flexible, but allí sounds very natural here.

Spanish uses the definite article more often than English, especially with general nouns.

So:

• el polen = pollen / the pollen

Here it refers to pollen in general as a substance, not necessarily a specific grain of pollen.

This is common:

• La música me gusta = I like music
• El chocolate me encanta = I love chocolate
• El polen me molesta = Pollen bothers me

English often drops the in these cases, but Spanish usually keeps the article.

Because the speaker is probably referring to the pigeons in that particular place—the ones they look at there.

• mirar las palomas = watch the pigeons

Spanish often uses the article where English might or might not use it.

If the speaker is talking about a familiar group of pigeons in that location, las palomas is very natural.

Also, paloma can mean dove or pigeon, depending on context. In a sentence like this, it will usually be understood as pigeons.

Porque means because. It introduces the reason.

So the structure is:

• Ojalá el polen no me molestara tanto = wish
• porque me encanta sentarme allí y mirar las palomas = reason for the wish

In other words:

I wish pollen didn’t bother me so much, because I love sitting there and watching the pigeons.

The speaker wishes the problem with pollen didn’t exist, and then explains why: they enjoy being there.

Yes, but it would mean something different.

• Ojalá el polen no me molestara tanto = I wish pollen didn’t bother me so much
  This suggests it currently does bother them, and they are expressing a wish about that reality.

• Espero que el polen no me moleste tanto = I hope pollen won’t bother me so much / doesn’t bother me so much
  This sounds more like a hope about a present or future situation.

So ojalá ... molestara is stronger and more clearly contrary to the current reality.

It is used throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

What is especially worth knowing for Spain is that you may hear both imperfect subjunctive endings:

• -ra form: molestara
• -se form: molestase

Both are standard and correct in Spain and elsewhere. In everyday speech, the -ra form is usually more common.

So:

• Ojalá el polen no me molestara tanto
• Ojalá el polen no me molestase tanto

Both mean the same thing here.