Japanese
The Japanese optative is formed by using a conditional such as ba (-ば) or tara (~たら）. For example, "I wish there were more time" is expressed literally as "If there were more time, it would be good." ( 時間があればいいのに jikan ga areba ii noni), where aru, the verb expressing existence, is in the ba conditional form areba. Ii is the present tense of "good," but if expressed in the past tense yokatta よかった, the sentence expresses regret instead of a wish or hope. The above example would become "If there had been time, it would have been good" 時間があればよかったのに, as might be said of an opportunity missed because of a lack of time.
The optative mood can also be expressed by using ように after the polite form of a verb. For instance, “may you have a pleasant trip” 楽しい旅になりますように.
Read more about this topic: Optative Mood
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