Topic · from the English index · as printed
§§1786–1789INDICATIVE WITH ἄν
Cause may be expressed also by the unreal indicative with ἄν or the potential optative with ἄν.
ἐπεὶ διά γ᾽ ῡ̔μᾶς αὐτοὺς πάλαι ἂν ἀπολώλειτε
since you would long ago have perished had it depended on yourselves 18.49, δέομαι οὖν σου παραμεῖναι ἡμῖν· ὡς ἐγὼ οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἑνὸς ἥδῑον ἀκούσαιμι ἢ σοῦ accordingly I beg you to stay with us; because there is no one (in my opinion) to whom I should more gladly listen than to you Pr. 335d.
The apodosis may be the simple indicative or any other form of the simple sentence appropriate to the thought.
a. Simple Indicative: εἰ τοῦτ᾽ ἔχει καλῶς, ἐκεῖνο αἰσχρῶς if this is excellent, that is disgraceful 3.188, εἰ μὲν (Ἀσκληπιὸς) θεοῦ ἦν, οὐκ ἦν αἰσχροκερδής· εἰ δ᾽ αἰσχροκερδής, οὐκ ἦν θεοῦ
if Asclepius was the son of a god, he was not covetous; if he was covetous, he was not the son of a god R. 408c, εἴ τέ τι ἄλλο . . . ἐγένετο ἐπικίνδῡνον τοῖς Ἕλλησι, πάντων . . . μετέσχομεν and if any other danger befell the Greeks, we took our share in all 3.54, ἦ καλὸν . . . τέχνημα ἄρα κέκτησαι, εἴπερ κέκτησαι
in truth you do possess a noble art, if indeed you do possess it Pr. 319a, εἴπερ γε Δᾱρείου . . . ἐστι παῖς . . . , οὐκ ἀμαχεὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἐγὼ λήψομαι if indeed he is a son of Darius, I shall not gain this without a battle A. 1.7.9, Κλέαρχος εἰ παρὰ τοὺς ὅρκους ἔλῡε τᾱ̀ς σπονδᾱ́ς, τὴν δίκην ἔχει assuming that Clearchus broke the truce contrary to his oath, he has his deserts 2. 5. 41, εἰ δὲ δύο ἐξ ἑνὸς ἀγῶνος γεγένησθον, οὐκ ἐγὼ αἴτιος but if two trials have been made out of one, I am not responsible 5.85.
b. Indicative with ἄν (unreal indicative, 1786): καίτοι τότε . . . τὸν Ὑπερείδην, εἴπερ ἀληθῆ μου νῦν κατηγορεῖ, μᾶλλον ἂν εἰκότως ἢ τόνδ᾽ ἐδίωκεν
and yet, if indeed his present charge against me is true, he would have had more reason for prosecuting Hyperides than he now has for prosecuting my client 18.223 (here ἂν ἐδίωκεν implies εἰ ἐδίωκεν, 2303). So also an unreal indicative without ἄν, 1774: τοῦτο, εἰ καὶ τἄλλα πάντ᾽ ἀποστεροῦσιν . . . ἀποδοῦναι προσῆκεν
even if they steal everything else, they should have restored this 27.37. In the above examples each clause has its proper force.
c. Subjunctive of exhortation or prohibition (cp. the indicative δεῖ or χρή with the infinitive, 1807): ὅθεν δὲ ἀπελίπομεν ἐπανέλθωμεν, εἴ σοι ἡδομένῳ ἐστίν
but let us return to the point whence we digressed, if it is agreeable to you Ph. 78b, εἰ μὲν ἴστε με τοιοῦτον . . . μηδὲ φωνὴν ἀνάσχησθε if you know that I am such a man . . . do not even endure the sound of my voice 18.10.
d. Optative of wish (cp. the indicative ἐλπίζω): κάκιστ᾽ ἀπολοίμην, Ξανθίᾱν εἰ μὴ φιλῶ
may I perish most vilely, if I do not love Xanthias Ran. 579.
e. Potential optative: θαυμάζοιμ᾽ ἂν εἰ οἶσθα I should be surprised if you know Pr. 312c. The potential optative (or indicative with ἄν, above b) sometimes suggests an inference (cp. the indicative δοκεῖ and inf. with ἄν). Thus, εἰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦτο λέγουσιν, ὁμολογοίην ἂν ἔγωγε οὐ κατὰ τούτους εἶναι ῥήτωρ for if they mean this, I must admit (it seems to me that I must admit) that I am an orator, but not after their style A. 17b (cp. τοῦτό γέ μοι δοκεῖ καλὸν εἶναι, εἴ τις οἷός τ᾽ εἴη παιδεύειν ἀνθρώπους this seems to me a fine thing, if any one should be able to train men 19 e), εἰ γὰρ οὗτοι ὀρθῶς ἀπέστησαν, ῡ̔μεῖς ἂν οὐ χρεὼν ἄρχοιτε<*> for if they were right in revolting, you must be wrong in holding your empire 3.40 (cp. οὐκ ἄρα χρὴ ῡ̔μᾶς ἄρχειν).
f. Imperative (cp. the indicative κελεύω order, ἀπαγορεύω forbid): εἴ τις ἀντιλέγει, λεγέτω
if any one objects, let him speak A. 7.3.14.
The unreal indicative with or without ἄν may be used as the apodosis of
a. εἰ with the indicative in Simple Present and Past conditions (2300 b). So after εἰ with the future denoting present intention or necessity that something shall be done (2301), as εἰ γὰρ γυναῖκες εἰς τόδ᾽ ἥξουσιν θράσους . . ., παρ᾽ οὐδὲν αυ<*>ταῖς ἦν ἂν ὀλλύναι πόσεις for if women are to reach this height of boldness, it would be as nothing for them to destroy their husbands Or. 566.
b. εἰ with the past indicative in Present and Past Unreal conditions (2302).
§§2302–2320Second Form of Conditions: PRESENT AND PAST UNREAL CONDITIONS
The unreal indicative with or without ἄν may be used as the apodosis of
a. εἰ with the indicative in Simple Present and Past conditions (2300 b). So after εἰ with the future denoting present intention or necessity that something shall be done (2301), as εἰ γὰρ γυναῖκες εἰς τόδ᾽ ἥξουσιν θράσους . . ., παρ᾽ οὐδὲν αυ<*>ταῖς ἦν ἂν ὀλλύναι πόσεις for if women are to reach this height of boldness, it would be as nothing for them to destroy their husbands Or. 566.
b. εἰ with the past indicative in Present and Past Unreal conditions (2302).
εἰ and ἄν both in Protasis.—The potential optative with ἄν or the unreal indicative with ἄν, standing as the apodosis in the conditional clause with εἰ, is the apodosis of another protasis expressed or understood.
a. Potential Optative.—ἀλλὰ μὴν εἴ γε μηδὲ δοῦλον ἀκρατῆ δεξαίμεθ᾽ ἄν, πῶς οὐκ ἄξιον αὐτόν γε φυλάξασθαι τοιοῦτον γενέσθαι; and yet indeed if we would not accept even a slave who was intemperate, how is it not right for a man (the master) to guard against becoming so himself? M. 1.5.3. Here δεξαίμεθα is the protasis with εἰ; and also, with ἄν, the apodosis to an understood protasis (e.g. if we should think of so doing). The verb of the protasis may be contained in a participle, as εἰ δὲ μηδεὶς ἂν ῡ̔μῶν ἀξιώσειε ζῆν ἀποστερούμενος τῆς πατρίδος, προσήκει κτλ. but if no one of you should think life worth having if he were to be deprived of his country, it is right, etc. 6.25. Such clauses form simple present conditions (if it is true that we would accept, etc.). The verb following the compressed condition stands usually in the present, at times in the future, indicative. C. 3.3.55: θαυμάζοιμι ἂν . . . εἰ ἂν ὠφελήσειε is an exception.
b. Unreal Indicative.—εἰ τοίνυν τοῦτο ἰσχῡρὸν ἦν ἂν τούτῳ τεκμήριον . . ., κᾱ̓μοὶ γενέσθω τεκμήριον if then this would have been strong evidence for him (if he had been able to bring it forward), let it be evidence for me too 49.58. This is a present condition (if it is true that this would, etc.) except in so far as the unexpressed protasis refers to the past. Such conditions may also be past.
N. 1.—The real protasis is: if it is (or was) the case that something could now (or hereafter) be (or could have been), it follows that.
N. 2.—In some of these cases, εἰ has almost the force of ἐπεί since ( 49.58).
An unreal indicative in conjunction with εἰ and the optative is very rare.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ εἰς γυναῖκα σωφρονεστέρᾱν ξίφος μεθεῖμεν, δυσκλεὴς ἂν ἦν φόνος (for ἂν εἴη) for if we should draw the sword upon a purer woman, foul were the murder Or. 1132. Cp. 10.8, C. 2.1.9 (text doubtful) and Ven. 12.22, P. Alc. 1, 111 e, Lyc. 66.
A πρίν clause, depending on a past tense denoting non-fulfilment, itself denotes non-fulfilment and takes a past indicative by assimilation (2185 b).
χρῆν τοίνυν Λεπτίνην μὴ πρότερον τιθέναι τὸν ἑαυτοῦ νόμον πρὶν τοῦτον ἔλῡσε Leptines ought not then to have proposed his own law until (before) he had repealed this 20.96. Cp. 2455 b.
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. 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 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.