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I am learning about the subjunctive mood in Spanish, and I want to say "I wish I could go back to those days".

Is

Ojalá pueda volver a esos días.

correct?

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    Ojalá pudiera volver a esos días
    – SÁNCHEZ DE ARCOS
    Apr 6, 2020 at 12:18
  • Ojalá + pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo (eg. pudiera or pudiese) = action in the present that you'd wish to be true, even though it isn't. Ojalá + presente de subjuntivo (eg. pueda) = action in the future that may or may not occur. Compare Ojalá vengan ( they may come or not, but I hope they will) and Ojalá vinieran (I wish they would come, but they won't).
    – Yay
    Apr 10, 2020 at 22:20

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The present subjunctive of the verb "poder" in Spanish in the first person is "pueda" as you say in your translation, however a more accurate way of expressing the same wish in Spanish would be using the past subjunctive, which is counterfactual (it is actually impossible to go back to the past):

Ojalá pudiera volver a esos días

or

Desearía poder volver a esos días

I would think that your attempt of Ojalá pueda volver a esos días would be a better translation for

I hopewish I can go back to those days

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    Thanks a lot @Gustavson for the edit.
    – DGaleano
    Apr 6, 2020 at 15:37
  • Just to mention that the form "pudiese" is an alternative to "pudiera": they have the exact same meaning, but the former may feel slightly more formal. Also note that while the second example retains the same meaning, "desearía" is not technically a subjuntive. Also, +1 for the "ojalá"! =)
    – nanaki
    Apr 7, 2020 at 9:58

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