Mastering Spanish: Wishes, Conditions & Passive Voice

This section provides practical examples of common Spanish grammatical structures, including expressions of wishes, conditional clauses, and passive voice constructions. Each example is presented with its English translation to aid understanding.

Expressing Wishes and Regrets (Ojalá)

• Ojalá no me hubiera casado cuando tenía dieciocho años. I wish I hadn't got married when I was eighteen years old.
• Pat está desempleada desde hace tres meses. Ojalá encuentre un trabajo. Pat has been unemployed for three months. I wish she would find a job.
• Mi mujer quiere que tome clases de baile. Ojalá me gustara bailar. My wife wants me to take dance lessons. I wish I liked dancing.
• Estoy interesado en el deporte desde que era un chico, pero soy tan torpe. Ojalá fuera bueno en deporte. I've been interested in sport since I was a boy, but I'm so clumsy. I wish I were good at sport.
• Suelo suspender demasiadas asignaturas por mi vaguería. Ojalá fuera más trabajador. I tend to fail too many subjects because of my laziness. I wish I were more hard-working.

Conditional Clauses: 'In Case' and 'As Long As'

• Está comprando un jersey por si el tiempo es frío. He's buying a sweater in case the weather is cold.
• Él puede usar el coche de la empresa con tal que pague toda la gasolina usada. He can use the firm's car as long as he pays for all the petrol used.
• Puedes salir con tal que estés de vuelta para echarme una mano con la cocina. You can go out as long as you are back to help me with the cooking.

Understanding the Passive Voice in Spanish

• Esta casa es bastante vieja. Se construyó hace más de 100 años. This house is quite old. It was built over a hundred years ago.
• ¿Está el coche en venta? No, acaba de ser vendido. Is the car for sale? No, it has just been sold.
• No encuentro mi sombrero. Alguien debe haberlo cogido por error. I can't find my hat. It must have been taken by mistake.
• Se está construyendo un nuevo puente. Se espera inaugurar el año que viene. A new bridge is being built. It is expected to open next year.
• Es un problema grave. No sé cómo puede resolverse. It's a serious problem. I don't know how it can be solved.
• A veces se cometen errores. Es inevitable. Mistakes are sometimes made. It's inevitable.
• Mi cartera ha desaparecido. Debe haber sido robada. My wallet has disappeared. It must have been stolen.
• Cada vez que viajo en avión, mi vuelo se retrasa. Every time I travel by plane, my flight is delayed.
• Hay alguien detrás de nosotros. Creo que nos están siguiendo. There is somebody behind us. I think we are being followed.
• Un misterio es algo que no se puede explicar. A mystery is something that cannot be explained.
• Si yo no hiciera mi trabajo adecuadamente, me despedirían. If I didn't do my work properly, I would be fired.