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ojalá. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ojalá, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ojalá in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ojalá you have here. The definition of the word
ojalá will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
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Spanish
Etymology
Inherited from Old Spanish oxalá, from Arabic لَوْ شَاءَ اللّٰهُ (law šāʔa allāhu, “and may God will it”). Compare Arabic إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ (ʔin šāʔa llāhu).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /oxaˈla/
- Rhymes: -a
- Syllabification: o‧ja‧lá
Adverb
ojalá
- hopefully (I hope that)
- if only
El gato ha estado escondiéndose debajo del sofá desde que se levantaron los niños. Ojalá yo pudiera hacer lo mismo.- The cat has been hiding under the couch since the kids woke up. If only I could do the same.
Interjection
ojalá
- I hope so; let's hope so
- God willing
- I hope (that); let's hope (that) (followed by present subjunctive)
- God grant (that) (followed by present subjunctive)
- I wish (when used to refer to past events)
Descendants
Further reading