Spaniards say 'God willing' every day – in Arabic.

Spanish 'ojalá' (hopefully) is a worn-down form of Arabic 'law šāʾ Allāh' or 'in šāʾ Allāh': 'if God wills'. It became so embedded in Spanish that it now requires the subjunctive: 'Ojalá que llueva'. A medieval religious wish turned into a neutral everyday word.

Useful: After 'ojalá' always use the subjunctive, never the indicative.

Source: en.wiktionary.org

ArabischSpanisch Wortherkunft

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