Unlikely Present and Future Wishes
When you want to express a wish about the present or future that is highly unlikely or impossible, use ojalá (meaning "if only" or "I wish") followed by the imperfect subjunctive (pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo).
Even though the imperfect subjunctive is a past tense form, using it directly after ojalá places the wish in the present or future. It signals that you are daydreaming or talking about a hypothetical fantasy. Note that while you can say ojalá que, the que is optional and usually dropped in these strong exclamations.
Key Verbs for Daydreaming
When wishing for a life of luxury, you will frequently use the imperfect subjunctive forms of verbs like ser (to be), estar (to be), and tener (to have). As a quick reminder, these verbs are irregular.
| Subject | Ser (to be) | Estar (to be) | Tener (to have) |
|---|
| yo | fuera | estuviera | tuviera |
| tú | fueras | estuvieras | tuvieras |
| él / ella / usted | fuera | estuviera | tuviera |
| nosotros / nosotras | fuéramos | estuviéramos | tuviéramos |
| vosotros / vosotras | fuerais | estuvierais | tuvierais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | fueran | estuvieran | tuvieran |
Use fuera or fuéramos to wish you were someone else or that a situation were entirely different:
Use estuviera to wish you were in a different location:
Use tuviera to wish for luxurious things or circumstances you don't currently have:
Wishes for Actions and the Near Future
You can also use this structure to wish that someone else would do something for you, or to wish for an unlikely event later today. Just pair ojalá with the imperfect subjunctive of the action verb.