Learn Spanish (Latin America): Ojalá que la medicina cure la tos. - I hope that the medicine cures the cough.

Ojalá que la medicina cure la tos.

I hope that the medicine cures the cough.

Breakdown of Ojalá que la medicina cure la tos.

Questions & Answers about Ojalá que la medicina cure la tos.

Why is the verb cure instead of cura?

Because it is in the present subjunctive mood. The word ojalá expresses a hope or a wish rather than stating a known fact, so it always requires the verb that follows it to be in the subjunctive. Since curar (to cure) is an -ar verb, its regular subjunctive ending for "it" is -e.

Is the word que required after ojalá?

No, it is optional! You will hear native speakers say both Ojalá que la medicina cure la tos and Ojalá la medicina cure la tos. They mean the exact same thing, so you can use whichever you prefer.

The translation says "I hope". Could I say Espero que instead of Ojalá que?

Yes, you could say Espero que la medicina cure la tos, which also means "I hope that..." and also requires the subjunctive. However, ojalá is a very common, fixed expression used to express a strong wish. Unlike the verb esperar, ojalá does not change its form depending on who is doing the hoping.

Why is it la tos instead of el tos if it does not end in an "a"?

Tos (cough) is an exception to the usual gender rules. It is a feminine noun despite ending in a consonant, so you just have to memorize it with the feminine article la.