Past or present

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).

If the relative clause expresses a present intention or necessity, the future indicative may be used.

ἐν τούτῳ κεκωλῦσθαι (1950) ἐδόκει ἑκάστῳ τὰ πρᾱ́γματα ᾧ μή τις αὐτὸς παρέσται each thought that progress was surely impeded in any undertaking in which he was not going to take part in person (= ἐν τούτῳ κεκώλῡται ᾧ μὴ παρέσομαι) T. 2.8. Cp. P. Th. 186c. More common is μέλλω with the present or future infinitive: ἕλοισθ᾽ ὅ τι . . . ἅπᾱσι συνοίσειν ῡ̔μῖν μέλλει may you adopt whatever course is likely to be of advantage to you all D. 3.36.

a. Elsewhere the future indicative is not regular in conditional relative sentences.

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.

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.