conditional relative clause

Conditional Relative Clauses may be resolved into if clauses, ὅς (ὅστις) corresponding to εἴ τις and ὅς (ὅστις) ἄν to ἐᾱ́ν τις. The negative is μή.

a. The antecedent of conditional relative clauses is indefinite (2505 b).

b. Such relative clauses, like temporal clauses, correspond in form to the protases of ordinary conditional sentences. Conditional relative sentences show, in general, the same substitutions permitted in the corresponding conditional sentences. δ̀ς ἄν is always generic, ἐᾱ́ν may be particular in prose.

Simple present and past conditional relative clauses have the present or past indicative. The main clause has the indicative or any other form of the simple sentence (cp. 2298, 2300).

οὐ γὰρ ἃ πρᾱ́ττουσιν οἱ δίκαιοι, ἀλλ᾽ ἃ (= εἴ τινα) μὴ πρᾱ́ττουσι, ταῦτα λέγεις for it is not what the just do, but what they do not do, that you keep telling us X. M. 4.4.11, τῶν Ἑλλήνων οἳ (= εἴ τινες) μὴ ἔτυχον ἐν ταῖς τάξεσιν ὄντες εἰς τᾱ̀ς τάξεις ἔθεον those of the Greeks who happened not to be in rank ran into their ranks X. A. 2.2.14, διέβαλλεν αὐτὸν ὅ τι ἐδύνατο he slandered him all he could 6. 1. 32, ἄνδρας τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἀπέκτειναν ὅσοι μὴ ἐξένευσαν they killed all of the Athenians who had not escaped by swimming T. 2.90, δ̀ δέ γε μηδὲν κακὸν ποιεῖ οὐδ᾽ ἄν τινος εἴη κακοῦ αἴτιον; and that which produces no evil cannot be the cause of any evil either? P. R. 379b, ἃ μὴ προσήκει μήτ᾽ ἄκουε μήθ᾽ ὅρᾱ neither hear nor behold that which beseems thee not Men. Sent. 39, ὅστις ζῆν ἐπιθῡμεῖ, πειρᾱ́σθω νῑκᾶν whoever longs to live, let him strive to conquer X. A. 3.2.39.

a. Since the antecedent of these clauses is indefinite, simple present conditional relative clauses with the present indicative in the main clause often have the value of general conditions. But general clauses with ὅς (μή) usually take the subjunctive or optative (2567, 2568), and those with ὅστις (μή) the indicative (2569).

Present and past unreal conditional relative clauses have a secondary tense of the indicative. The main clause has a secondary tense with ἄν (cp. 2303).

οὔτε γὰρ ἂν αὐτοὶ ἐπεχειροῦμεν πρᾱ́ττειν ἃ (= εἴ τινα) μὴ ἠπιστάμεθα κτλ. for (if that were so) neither should we ourselves be undertaking (as we are) to do what we did not understand, etc. P. Charm. 171e, οἱ παῖδες ῡ̔μῶν, ὅσοι (= εἴ τινες) ἐνθάδε ἦσαν, ὑπὸ τούτων ἂν ῡ̔βρίζοντο (if that were so) your children, as many of them as were present (but none were present), would be insulted by these men L. 12.98, ὁπότερα τούτων ἐποίησεν, οὐδενὸς ἂν ἧττον πλούσιοι ἦσαν whichever of these things he had done, they would be no less rich than any one 32. 23.

Conditional relative clauses that vividly anticipate the realization of a future event take the subjunctive with ἄν. The main clause has the future indicative or any other form referring to the future.

τῷ ἀνδρὶ δ̀ν ἂν (= ἐᾱ́ν τινα) ἕλησθε πείσομαι I will obey whatever man you may choose X. A. 1.3.15, οἷς (for ἃ) ἂν οἱ ἄλλοι ἐργάζωνται, τούτοις σὺ χρήσῃ whatever others acquire by labour, that you shall enjoy X. M. 2.1.25, πειρᾱ́σομαι ὅ τι ἂν δύνωμαι ῡ̔μᾶς ἀγαθὸν ποιεῖν I will try to do you all the good I can X. A. 6.1.33, ὅποι ἂν ἔλθω, λέγοντος ἐμοῦ ἀκροᾱ́σονται οἱ νέοι wherever I go the young men will listen to my speaking P. A. 37d, ἀπόκρῑναι ὅ τι ἄν δε ἐρωτῶ answer whatever I ask you L. 12.24, ἕπεσθε ὅπῃ ἄν τις ἡγῆται follow where any one may lead you T. 2.11, ὡς ἂν (= ἐᾱ́ν πως) ἐγὼ εἴπω, πειθώμεθα let us all obey as I shall bid B 139. Potential optative: ὥστ᾽ ἀποφύγοις ἂν ἥντιν᾽ ἂν βούλῃ δίκην so that you can get off in any suit you please Ar. Nub. 1151.

a. The future indicative is scarcely ever used in a conditional relative clause of this sort (T. 1.22 ὅσοι βουλήσονται; cp. 1913).

b. Homer has some cases of the subjunctive without κέ or ἄν (e.g. N 234). Homer sometimes uses the future with κέ or ἄν in the main clause: ὁ δέ κεν κεχολώσεται, ὅν κεν ἵκωμαι and he will be wroth to whom I shall come A 139.

Conditional relative clauses that set forth less vividly the realization of a future event take the optative. The main clause has the optative with ἄν.

ὀκνοίην ἂν εἰς τὰ πλοῖα ἐμβαίνειν ἃ (= εἴ τινα) ἡμῖν Κῦρος δοίη I should hesitate to embark in the vessels that Cyrus might give us X. A. 1.3.17, δ̀ δὲ μὴ ἀγαπῴη, οὐδ᾽ ἂν φιλοῖ nor could he love what he does not desire P. Lys. 215b.

a. The main clause has the optative without ἄν in wishes: δῶρα θεῶν ἔχοι, ὅττι διδοῖεν may he keep the gifts of the gods whatever they may give ς 142.

b. Homer sometimes uses κέ or ἄν in the relative clause (φ 161).

Present general conditional relative clauses have ἄν with the subjunctive. The main clause has the present indicative or an equivalent.

νέος δ᾽ ἀπόλλυθ᾽ ὅντιν᾽ (= εἴ τινα) ἂν φιλῇ θεός ‘he dieth young, whome'er a god doth love’ Stob. Flor. 120.13, οὓς (= εἴ τινας) ἂν ὁοᾷ φιλοκινδῡ́νως ἔχοντας πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους, τῑμᾷ whomever he sees zealous of danger in the face of the enemy, these he honours X. H. 6.1.6, γαμοῦσί τε ὁπόθεν ἂν βούλωνται, ἐκδιδόωσί τε εἰς οὓς ἂν ἐθέλωσι they both get a wife from whatever family they please and give their daughters in marriage to whomsoever they choose P. R. 613d, πατρὶς γάρ ἐστι πᾶσ᾽ ἵν᾽ ἂν πρᾱ́ττῃ τις εὖ for every land is a man's own country wheresoever he fares well Ar. Plut. 1151.

a. Gnomic aorist in the main clause: ὅς κε θεοῖς ἐπιπείθηται, μάλα τ᾽ ἔκλυον αὐτοῦ whoever obeys the gods, him they most do hear A 218.

b. The subjunctive without ἄν (κέ) is usual in Homer and occurs occasionally in Attic and lyric poetry. Thus, ἀνθρώπους ἐφορᾷ καὶ τῑ́νυται ὅς τις ἁμάρτῃ he watches over men and punishes whoever transgresses ν 214, τῶν δὲ πημονῶν μάλιστα λῡποῦσ᾽ αἳ φανῶσ᾽ αὐθαίρετοι but those griefs pain the most which are seen to be self-sought S. O. T. 1231. Cases of the sort appear in Hdt., but are very rare in Attic prose, e.g. T. 4.18. The subjunctive without ἄν (κέ) is much commoner in Homer than in the corresponding clauses with εἰ (2339).

c. The apodosis here usually expresses a general truth, less often iterative action. In 2568 the apodosis refers to iterative action, usually on the part of designated individuals.

Past general conditional relative clauses have the optative. The main clause has the imperfect or an equivalent.

ἀεὶ πρὸς ᾧ (= εἰ πρός τινι) εἴη ἔργῳ, τοῦτο ἔπρᾱττεν whatever work he was engaged in, that he always performed X. H. 4.8.22, ἔπρᾱττεν ἃ δόξειεν αὐτῷ he always did whatever he pleased D. 18.235, πάντας . . . ὅσους λάβοιεν διέφθειρον they used to destroy as many as they captured T. 2.67, ἐθήρᾱ ὅπου περ ἐπιτυγχάνοιεν θηρίοις he used to hunt wherever they fell in with large game X. C. 3.3.5, ἀνέκραγον . . . ἱκετεύουσαι πάντας ὅτῳ ἐντυγχάνοιεν μὴ φεύγειν they screamed out, entreating all they met not to flee X. C. 3.3.67.

a. An iterative tense with ἄν in the main clause: ὅπῃ μέλλοι ᾱ̓ριστοποιεῖσθαι τὸ στράτευμα . . ., ἐπανήγαγεν ἄν τὸ κέρας, when the squadron was about to take breakfast, he would draw back the wing X. H. 6.2.28.

The present indicative instead of the subjunctive with ἄν occurs in general conditional relative clauses (cp. 2342). This occurs chiefly after ὅστις, which is itself sufficiently general in meaning.

οἵτινες πρὸς τᾱ̀ς ξυμφορᾱ̀ς γνώμῃ ἥκιστα λῡποῦνται, ἔργῳ δὲ μάλιστα ἀντέχουσιν those who in feeling are least depressed at misfortunes, in action resist them most T. 2.64, ὅστις δ᾽ ἐπὶ μεγίστοις τὸ ἐπίφθονον λαμβάνει, ὀρθῶς βουλεύεται he counsels wisely who incurs envy in a great cause 2. 64, ὅστις δὲ πλοῦτον ἢ εὐγένειαν εἰσιδὼν γαμεῖ πονηρᾱ́ν, μῶρός ἐστιν whoever fixes his gaze on wealth or noble lineage and weds a wicked woman, is a fool E. El. 1097, ὅ τι καλὸν φίλον ᾱ̓εί whatsoever is fair is dear forever E. Bacch. 881.

a. Cases of the imperfect instead of the optative are rare and generally ill supported: ὅπου ᾤετο τὴν πατρίδα τι ὠφελήσειν, οὐ πόνων ὑφῑ́ετο whenever he thought that he could benefit his country in any respect, he did not shrink from toil X. Ag. 7. 1. Cp. X. A. 1.1.5, 1. 9. 27.

The potential optative with ἄν in the main clause with the indicative (2562) or subjunctive (2565) in the relative clause.