Breakdown of Ojalá la juventud entendiera ese pensamiento.
ese
that (masculine)
entender
to understand
ojalá
hopefully / I hope
la juventud
the youth
el pensamiento
the thought
Questions & Answers about Ojalá la juventud entendiera ese pensamiento.
Why isn't there a que after ojalá here?
Why is entendiera in the imperfect subjunctive instead of the present subjunctive?
We use the imperfect (past) subjunctive after ojalá to express a wish that is unlikely or contrary to reality. The speaker is saying "I wish they understood," implying that, right now, they actually don't. If this were a hopeful, realistic wish (I hope they will understand), we would use the present subjunctive: ojalá entienda.
Why is entendiera conjugated in the singular if it refers to many young people?
In Spanish, la juventud (the youth) is a collective noun. Even though it refers to a group of people, the word itself is grammatically singular, just like la gente (people) or la familia (the family). Therefore, it takes the third-person singular conjugation.
I always mix up ese and eso. Why is it ese pensamiento here?
Pensamiento is a masculine singular noun, so it needs the masculine singular adjective ese (that). Eso is a neuter pronoun used only when referring to an abstract idea, an unknown object, or a situation, and it is never placed directly in front of a noun.
Learn Ojalá la juventud entendiera ese pensamiento and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free