Breakdown of Ojalá ganar la lotería no fuera mi único pensamiento.
ser
to be
no
no, not
mi
my
ganar
to win / to earn
Questions & Answers about Ojalá ganar la lotería no fuera mi único pensamiento.
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive fuera here instead of the present subjunctive?
Ojalá can be followed by different tenses depending on how likely the wish is. Because the speaker is expressing an unreal or impossible wish about their current reality (it actually is currently their only thought), we use the imperfect subjunctive (fuera). If it were a realistic hope for the future, we would use the present subjunctive.
Why does the sentence use the infinitive ganar (to win) instead of a word for "winning"?
In English, we often use the "-ing" form as a noun, like in "winning the lottery." In Spanish, whenever an action acts as a noun or the subject of a sentence, you must use the infinitive (ganar). The Spanish "-ing" form (ganando) is strictly used for active actions in progress.
Why is fuera (from ser) used here rather than a form of estar?
Why does the adjective único come before the noun pensamiento?