Learn Finnish: Kunpa en kärsisi jälkiviisaudesta! - If only I didn't suffer from hindsight!

To make a negative wish, you use kunpa followed by the negative verb (here, en) and the negative conditional form of the main verb (here, kärsisi). Because it uses the present conditional, it expresses a wish about a current state: "If only I didn't currently suffer".

Why is the word for hindsight in the elative case (jälkiviisaudesta)?

The verb kärsiä (to suffer) requires the condition or thing you are suffering from to be in the elative (-sta / -stä) case. This matches naturally with the English idea of suffering "from" something.

How is the compound word jälkiviisaus constructed?

It is made up of jälki (track, mark, or after) and viisaus (wisdom). It literally means "after-wisdom," which perfectly captures the idea of hindsight. Notice how the -us noun ending changes to its stem -ude- before adding the -sta case ending.

If this were a regret about the past ("If only I hadn't suffered..."), how would the verb change?

You would need to use the negative past conditional instead of the present conditional. The phrase would change to Kunpa en olisi kärsinyt. The current sentence uses en kärsisi because the speaker is frustrated by their hindsight right now.