Today we’re going to learn a helpful expression to say “I wish”: Quem dera. Literally, it doesn’t make much sense to a non-native speaker, since literally it translates as “who gives.” But it really means “I wish”or “If only!”<\/p>\n
Let’s look at some examples.<\/p>\n
-Voc\u00ea vai no casamento real?<\/em> Are you going to the royal wedding?<\/p>\n -Quem dera!<\/em> I wish!<\/p>\n Quem dera ser famoso<\/em>. I wish I was famous.<\/p>\n -Voc\u00eas ir\u00e3o viajar para a Europa? <\/em>Will you travel to Europe?<\/p>\n -Quem dera!<\/em> If only!<\/p>\n Quem dera que fosse verdade. <\/em>If only that were true.<\/p>\n Quem dera eu tivesse um cachorro<\/em>. I wish I had a dog.<\/p>\n Here’s a song called Quem Dera<\/a>, which has even more examples of how to use the expression.<\/p>\n