Breakdown of ¡Ojalá hubiera descubierto ese colgante!
ese
that (masculine)
descubrir
to discover
haber
(auxiliary) have
ojalá
hopefully / I hope
Questions & Answers about ¡Ojalá hubiera descubierto ese colgante!
Why do we use the past perfect subjunctive (hubiera descubierto) here instead of a past indicative?
The word ojalá expresses a strong wish or hope. When you are wishing for something in the past that didn't happen (an impossible past wish, like 'If only I had...'), you must use the past perfect subjunctive (also called the pluperfect subjunctive). Here, it shows that you didn't actually discover the pendant.
Could I use hubiese descubierto instead of hubiera descubierto?
Yes! Hubiera and hubiese are two different forms of the same subjunctive helper verb, and they are completely interchangeable. In Latin America, hubiera is much more common in everyday speech, but you will still encounter hubiese in literature or formal contexts.
The current lesson is about sí que. How would I say 'I did discover that pendant!' using this structure?
To strongly affirm a fact contrary to expectation, you put sí que before the conjugated verb in the indicative mood. You would drop ojalá (since you are no longer expressing a wish) and say: ¡Sí que descubrí ese colgante!
Why is it ese colgante and not eso colgante?
Colgante is a masculine noun, so it requires the masculine singular adjective ese. Eso is a neuter pronoun (meaning 'that general thing' or 'that situation') and is never placed directly in front of a noun to describe it.