New concept
If only…!
For a wish, Finnish takes the conditional and adds a little sigh. There are two common ways:
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Olisipa jo kesä! | If only it were summer already! |
| Kunpa minulla olisi enemmän aikaa! | If only I had more time! |
| Voisinpa nukkua vielä tunnin! | If only I could sleep another hour! |
- -pa / -pä glued to the conditional verb, which comes first: olisipa, voisinpa, tietäisipä.
- Kunpa at the start, with the conditional later in the sentence.
Both mean the same: I wish…, if only…. A plainer, everyday version is Toivoisin, että… — I'd hope that…