Neues Konzept

Ojalá: hopes and wishes

Ojalá — I hope, if only — always takes the subjunctive, and the tense tells your listener how likely the wish is:

Ojalá + … Use Example
present subjunctive a hope that may come true Ojalá haga sol mañana. — Let's hope it's sunny tomorrow.
imperfect subjunctive a wish that's unlikely or impossible Ojalá tuviera más tiempo. — I wish I had more time.

Ojalá never changes, and ojalá que is also correct.

To wish that someone else would do something, use me gustaría que + imperfect subjunctive: Me gustaría que te quedaras. — I'd like you to stay. When the trigger is in the conditional or the past, the subjunctive after que moves into the past too: Quiero que vengas → Me gustaría que vinieras.