Breakdown of Ojalá el hada tuviera una varita mágica.
tener
to have
una
a, an (feminine)
ojalá
hopefully / I hope
el hada
fairy
la varita
wand
mágico
magical
Questions & Answers about Ojalá el hada tuviera una varita mágica.
Why is tuviera used here instead of tenga, and how is it formed?
Ojalá expresses a hope or wish. When followed by the present subjunctive (tenga), it means "I hope (it happens)". When followed by the imperfect subjunctive (tuviera), it expresses a contrary-to-fact wish about the present: "If only / I wish the fairy had..." To form tuviera, you take the preterite ellos form of tener (tuvieron), drop the -ron, and add the imperfect subjunctive ending -ra.
Why is it el hada? Is hada a masculine word?
No, hada is feminine! However, because it starts with a stressed "a" sound (the h is silent), Spanish uses the masculine article el in the singular to avoid the awkward pronunciation of "la hada". You've likely seen this rule before with el agua (the water) and el águila (the eagle).
Why isn't there a word for "I" in the Spanish sentence, even though the translation says "I wish"?
The word ojalá is a fixed expression of strong hope that originally comes from Arabic ("God willing"). It doesn't literally contain the pronoun "I", nor is it a conjugated verb. Translating it as "I wish" or "If only" is simply the most natural way to express that same feeling in English.
What is the base word for varita?
It's the diminutive form of vara, which means a stick, pole, or rod. By adding the -ita ending, it becomes a "little wand." The phrase varita mágica is the standard way to say "magic wand" in Spanish.
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