01 · The hopeful wish
Ojalá apruebe el examen.
I hope I pass the exam.
Ojalá always drags the subjunctive in with it — apruebe, not apruebo. Present subjunctive means the hope can still come true.
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Wish List
Make wishes and react to a friend's news like you mean it — out loud.
Ojalá always takes the subjunctive, and the tense sets the odds. Present subjunctive for a hope that can still come true: Ojalá apruebe el examen, ojalá no llueva. Imperfect subjunctive for the unlikely or impossible: Ojalá pudiera volar, ojalá tuviera más tiempo — I wish. The same mood powers every emotional reaction to someone else's news: Me alegra que hayas conseguido el trabajo, siento que estés pasando por esto — emotion + que + subjunctive, always. Only when the subject doesn't change do you switch to the infinitive: Me alegro de estar aquí, but me alegra que estés aquí.
Below: wishes and reactions phrase by phrase, how locals cheer and commiserate across the map, the indicative slip that flags a learner — and a way to practise reacting in a real spoken exchange, no flashcards anywhere.
The warm-up pack
How to wish for something, and react like you mean it, when someone else's news lands.
01 · The hopeful wish
Ojalá apruebe el examen.
I hope I pass the exam.
Ojalá always drags the subjunctive in with it — apruebe, not apruebo. Present subjunctive means the hope can still come true.
02 · The impossible wish
Ojalá pudiera volar.
I wish I could fly.
Switch to the imperfect subjunctive and the wish becomes something you know won't happen — pudiera, not puedo.
03 · The regret wish
Ojalá hubiera estudiado más.
I wish I had studied more.
The saddest shift of all — ojalá reaching into the past for something that's already been decided.
04 · Being glad for someone
Me alegra que hayas conseguido el trabajo.
I'm glad you got the job.
The whole family works the same way — me alegra, me encanta, me sorprende — emotion, que, subjunctive, no exceptions.
05 · Being genuinely moved
Es maravilloso que estés aquí.
It's wonderful that you're here.
Notice estés, not estás — the emotion belongs to you, but the subjunctive belongs to the person you're reacting to.
06 · Sitting with someone's bad news
Siento que estés pasando por esto.
I'm sorry you're going through this.
There's no fixing this one — just being present for it, which is exactly what siento que does.
07 · A shame, not a tragedy
Es una pena que no puedas quedarte.
It's a shame you can't stay.
Una pena keeps it light — regret without heaviness, perfect for small disappointments.
08 · Surprise at something good
Me sorprende que hable tan bien español.
It surprises me that he speaks Spanish so well.
Even a compliment triggers the subjunctive here, because you're reacting to someone else's action, not your own.
09 · Worry, said out loud
Me preocupa que no haya llamado.
It worries me that he hasn't called.
The subjunctive lets you name a worry without accusing anyone of anything.
10 · Frustration, kept polite
Me molesta que no escuche mis ideas.
It bothers me that he doesn't listen to my ideas.
Frustration, filtered through grammar that keeps it civil — say the feeling, not the accusation.
11 · Hoping for someone else's outcome
Espero que hayan llegado bien.
I hope they arrived safely.
You don't know the outcome yet — that uncertainty is exactly what keeps this in the subjunctive.
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First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/wish-listRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Argentina | Colombia |
|---|---|---|
| how great (that…)! | ¡qué copado! | ¡qué chévere! |
| what a shame | qué bajón | qué pesar |
| buddy (between friends) | che | parce |
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Carla
Your grammar teacher for this pack
There are no flashcards in the Wish List lessons — you react, out loud, the way friends do. Carla drops a piece of news on you — Mi amigo se mudó a otra ciudad — and you answer it three different ways: glad, sorry, surprised, each with its trigger and its subjunctive. Good news gets ¡Me alegra mucho que hayas aprobado! Ojalá te den una beca también; hard news gets Siento que haya pasado eso. Ojalá puedas solucionarlo pronto. And when you're ready, she reaches into regret: Ojalá hubiera estudiado más — what you wish had gone differently, said in the moment, not written in a workbook.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 6 lessons and Wish List is yours — earned, not given.
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Quick answers
It means I hope or if only, and it always triggers the subjunctive: Ojalá te mejores pronto — I hope you get better soon. The que is optional (Ojalá que haga buen tiempo mañana), and in Mexico you'll constantly hear the variant ojalá y.
When the wish is unlikely or contrary to fact: Ojalá viviera cerca del mar — I wish I lived near the sea (I don't). Present subjunctive keeps the hope alive (Ojalá no llueva el fin de semana); pluperfect turns it into regret: Ojalá hubiera estudiado más.
Me alegra que vengas — an emotion about someone else's action always takes the subjunctive, never the indicative. The whole family works the same way: me encanta que, me sorprende que, me preocupa que, me molesta que + subjunctive.
Siento que estés pasando por esto — I'm sorry you're going through this — or lamento que no haya salido bien for an outcome. The warm Latin American version: Me da mucha pena que estés pasando por eso.
When the subject doesn't change. Same person feeling and doing: Me alegro de estar aquí (I'm glad I'm here). Different people: que + subjunctive — Me alegra que estés aquí (I'm glad you're here).