Breakdown of On turhaa harmitella tätä jälkikäteen.
tämä
this
olla
to be
turha
unnecessary (futile, useless)
jälkikäteen
afterwards
Questions & Answers about On turhaa harmitella tätä jälkikäteen.
Why is the adjective turha in the partitive form (turhaa)?
This is a classic zero-subject sentence structure. When you express 'It is [adjective] to do [something],' you are describing the abstract action of the infinitive verb (here, harmitella). Because you are describing an action or a general state rather than a specific, concrete noun, the adjective must take the partitive case.
How does the verb harmitella differ from the more common verb harmittaa?
Harmittaa means 'to annoy' and is used when the feeling happens to you, typically with you as the object (Minua harmittaa = I am annoyed). Harmitella is a related active verb that means 'to express annoyance', 'to fret', or 'to lament'. In this sentence, it refers to a person actively dwelling on the regret, rather than just feeling the emotion.
Why is the object tämä in the partitive case (tätä)?
The verb harmitella expresses an emotion and describes an action that doesn't have a clear endpoint. Verbs expressing feelings or continuous, irresultative actions always require their object to be in the partitive case.
Since the current lesson focuses on using kunpa and the conditional mood for regrets, why doesn't this sentence use them?