Breakdown of Ojalá pintaran el mural que estamos diseñando.
estar
to be (location/state)
que
that / than
pintar
to paint
ojalá
hopefully / I hope
diseñar
to design
el mural
the mural
Questions & Answers about Ojalá pintaran el mural que estamos diseñando.
How exactly do we form pintaran from the verb pintar?
Why use the imperfect subjunctive (pintaran) after ojalá instead of the present subjunctive?
The word ojalá can trigger either tense, but they mean different things. If you use the present subjunctive (Ojalá pinten), it means 'I hope they paint' which feels like a real possibility. Using the imperfect subjunctive (Ojalá pintaran) translates more to 'I wish they would paint', which sounds like a hypothetical dream or something less likely to happen.
Why does the sentence use a present tense (estamos diseñando) right after a past subjunctive form (pintaran)?
They describe two different realities. Estamos diseñando (we are designing) is an actual, ongoing action happening right now in the real world. On the other hand, pintaran does not actually refer to the past here; the imperfect subjunctive is just the grammatical tool we use after ojalá to express a present or future hypothetical wish.
Since ojalá means 'I wish', why isn't the first verb conjugated for 'I'?
The word ojalá is not actually a verb; it is an expression derived from Arabic meaning 'God willing'. Because it is not a verb, it does not get conjugated. It simply sits at the beginning of the sentence to show strong hope or desire, and the verb that follows (pintaran) is conjugated for the people who would actually do the action (they).
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