ojalar Preterite Conjugation
ojalar — to make buttonholes
The preterite of ojalá is regular: ojalé, ojalaste, ojaló, ojalamos, ojalasteis, ojalaron.
ojalar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'ojalar' to talk about the action of making buttonholes as a completed event in the past. For example, 'Ayer ojalé los pantalones.' (Yesterday I made the buttonholes on the trousers).
Notes on ojalar in the Preterite
The verb 'ojalar' is regular in the preterite tense.
Example Sentences
Ayer ojalé las mangas de mi camisa.
Yesterday I made the buttonholes on my shirt's sleeves.
yo
¿Ojalaste los bolsillos del abrigo?
Did you make the buttonholes on the coat pockets?
tú
Ella ojaló el cuello de la blusa con mucho cuidado.
She made the buttonhole on the blouse's collar very carefully.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros ojalamos las cortinas la semana pasada.
We made the buttonholes for the curtains last week.
nosotros
Los niños ojalaron sus disfraces para la fiesta.
The children made the buttonholes on their costumes for the party.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'ojalaba' instead of the preterite 'ojalé' for a specific, completed action.
Correct: For a single completed action like 'I made the buttonholes yesterday,' use the preterite: 'Ayer ojalé'.
Why: The preterite marks a completed action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form: 'abri' instead of 'abrí'.
Correct: The 'yo' preterite form needs an accent: 'ojalé'.
Why: The accent on the 'é' distinguishes the preterite 'yo' form and indicates the stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: ojalo
The present indicative of ojalá is regular: ojalá, ojalas, ojala, ojalamos, ojaláis, ojalan.
Imperfect
yo: ojalaba
The imperfect of ojalá is regular: ojalaba, ojalabas, ojalaba, ojalábamos, ojalabais, ojalaban.
Future
yo: ojalaré
The future of ojalá is regular: ojalare, ojalás, ojalá, ojalaremos, ojalaréis, ojalán.
Conditional
yo: ojalaría
The conditional of ojalá is regular: ojalaria, ojalarias, ojalaria, ojalariamos, ojalariais, ojalarian.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ojale
The present subjunctive of ojalá is regular: ojalé (yo/él/ella/usted), ojalemos (nosotros), ojalen (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: ojalara
The imperfect subjunctive of ojalá uses the -ra or -se endings: ojalara (él/ella/usted), ojaláramos (nosotros), ojalaran (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ojala
The imperative of ojalá is regular: ojala (tú), ojale (usted), ojalemos (nosotros), ojalen (ustedes), ojalad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no ojales
The negative imperative of ojalá uses the present subjunctive: no ojaláes (tú), no ojale (usted), no ojalemos (nosotros), no ojalen (ustedes), no ojaléis (vosotros).