Ojalá ganara la lotería para tener dinero infinito.
If only I won the lottery to have infinite money.
Breakdown of Ojalá ganara la lotería para tener dinero infinito.
tener
to have
el dinero
money
para
for
ganar
to win / to earn
ojalá
hopefully / I hope
la lotería
lottery
infinito
infinite
Questions & Answers about Ojalá ganara la lotería para tener dinero infinito.
Why is ganara in the imperfect subjunctive rather than the present subjunctive (gane)?
We use ojalá with the imperfect subjunctive to express a wish that is highly unlikely or impossible right now (like suddenly winning the lottery). If you used the present subjunctive (Ojalá gane la lotería), it would change the meaning to a realistic hope: "I hope I win the lottery" (as if you had just bought a ticket and were waiting for the draw).
Is there a missing que after ojalá?
No, it is completely optional here! You can use either ojalá or ojalá que before the subjunctive verb, and both are completely natural and mean the exact same thing.
Why do we use the infinitive tener instead of another subjunctive verb after para?
When the subject of both actions is the same (the person winning the lottery is the same person having the money), you just use para plus the infinitive (tener). You only use para que plus a subjunctive verb if there is a change in subject, such as: "If only I won the lottery so my parents could have infinite money."
Since ganara is the conjugation for both "yo" and "él/ella/usted", how do we know who is winning the lottery?
Context is key! Wishing for infinite money is usually a personal desire, so it is safely assumed the subject is "yo" (I). If there were any confusion in a real conversation, you could easily clarify by adding the pronoun: Ojalá yo ganara la lotería.
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