LESSON XXXVIII: Optative Active. Less Vivid Future Conditions.
The Optative Active
360. The optative is a verbal mood that - like the subjunctive - varies in meaning depending on the context in which it appears. Like the subjunctive, it can appear in conditional sentences and in subordinate clauses that express fear, purpose, or temporality. It also can be used independently to express wishes and future possibility.
In addition to the present, aorist, and perfect, found in the subjunctive (312), the optative has the future and future perfect. For the distinction of time between the present and the aorist, see 313.
361. Learn the conjugation of the optative active of λύω in the present (λύοιμι), the future (λύσοιμι), the aorist (λύσαιμι), and the perfect (λελύκοιμι) tenses.
Paradigms
Present Active Optative of λύω | |
---|---|
First Person Singular | λύοι-μι |
Second Person Singular | λύοι-ς |
Third Person Singular | λύοι |
Second Person Dual | λύοι-τον |
Third Person Dual | λῡοί-την |
First Person Plural | λύοι-μεν |
Second Person Plural | λύοι-τε |
Third Person Plural | λύοιε-ν |
Future Active Optative of λύω | |
---|---|
First Person Singular | λύσοι-μι |
Second Person Singular | λύσοι-ς |
Third Person Singular | λύσοι |
Second Person Dual | λύσοι-τον |
Third Person Dual | λῡσοί-την |
First Person Plural | λύσοι-μεν |
Second Person Plural | λύσοι-τε |
Third Person Plural | λύσοιε-ν |
Aorist Active Optative of λύω | |
---|---|
First Person Singular | λύσαι-μι |
Second Person Singular | λύσεια-ς, λύσαι-ς |
Third Person Singular | λύσειε, λύσαι |
Third Person Dual | λύσαι-τον |
First Person Plural | λῡσαί-την |
Second Person Plural | λύσαι-μεν |
Third Person Plural | λύσαι-τε |
Third Person Plural | λύσεια-ν, λύσαιε-ν |
Perfect Active Optative of λύω | |
---|---|
First Person Singular | λελύκοι-μι |
Second Person Singular | λελύκοι-ς |
Third Person Singular | λελύκοι |
Second Person Dual | λελύκοι-τον |
Third Person Dual | λελυκοί-την |
First Person Plural | λελύκοι-μεν |
Second Person Plural | λελύκοι-τε |
Third Person Plural | λελύκοιε-ν |
362. The optative adds the Mood Suffix ι (in the third plural ιε) to the tense stem, as λύο-ι-μι, λύσα-ι-μι. In the perfect the α of the stem λελυκα is changed to ο. The optative uses the endings of the secondary tenses (145), but the first person singular active takes μι. The forms λύειας, λύσειε, λύσειαν, in the aorist, are irregular, but they are in common use instead of λύσαις, λύσαι, λύσαιεν. For the accent of λύοι, λύσοι, λύσαι, see 23.
Less Vivid Future Conditions
364. When a supposed future case is stated in a less distinct and vivid form (as in English, if I should go), the protasis has the optative with εἰ, and the apodosis has the optative with ἄν.
εἰ πράττοι (or πράξειε) τοῦτο, καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι, if he should do this, it would be well.
The protasis is here introduced by εἰ, if, and has the optative; it states a supposed future case less vividly than the subjunctive (317). The apodosis has its verb in the optative with the adverb ἄν.
Grammatical Notes
855. The objective genitive follows many verbal adjectives. These are chiefly kindred (in meaning or derivation) to verbs which take the genitive. Thus, ἔμπειροι γὰρ ἦσαν τῆς χώρᾱς, they were familiar with the country (845), τῆς χώρᾱς ἐγκρατεῖς, masters or rulers of the land (847), κῶμαι μεσταὶ σίτου, villages abounding in supplies (848).
861. The person or thing for whose advantage or disadvantage anything is or is done is put in the dative. This dative is generally introduced in English by for. Thus, ἄλλο στράτευμα Κύρῳ συνελέγετο ἐν Χερρονήσῳ, another force was collected for Cyrus in the Chersonese, ἐμοὶ κακὸν βουλεύεις, you are plotting harm against me. Dative of Advantage or Disadvantage.
866. The dative is used to denote cause, manner, and means or instrument. Thus, φιλίᾳ καὶ εὐνοίᾳ ἐβοήθουν αὐτῷ, they helped him because of their friendship and good will, πορεύονται κύκλῳ, they advance in a circle, αὐτοὺς φοβοῦσι τῇ κραυγῇ, they frighten them by their uproar, diabaqinoysi πλοίοις, they cross in boats, βούλεται ἡμῖν χρῆσθαι, he wishes to use (i.e. serve himself by) us, γένει προσήκει βασιλεῖ, in family he is related to the king.
365. VOCABULARY.
διαβατός, ή, όν | fordable, passable. |
δίκαιος, ᾱ, ον (cf. δίκη) | just, right. |
δικαίως (cf. δίκαιος) | adv., justly, rightly. |
δοκέω, δόξω, ἔδοξα, δέδογμαι, ἐδόχθην | seem, seem best or good, think; δοκεῖ, etc., impers., it seems, it seems best. |
ἐπι-σῑτίζομαι (σῑτιδ), ἐπι-σῑτιοῦμαι, ἐπ-εσῑτισάμην (cf. σῖτος) | furnish oneself with provisions, collect or procure supplies, forage. |
κλείω, κλείσω, ἔκλεισα, κέκλειμαι and κέκλεισμαι, ἐκλείσθην | shut, close. |
πεζῇ (cf.. πεζός) | adv., on foot. |
πεζός, ή, όν | on foot; οἱ πεζοί, the infantry. |
ῥᾳδίως | adv., easily. |
σῖτος, ου, ὁ | grain, food, supplies. |
366. READ ALOUD AND TRANSLATE:
1. εἰ ταῦτα ποιήσειεν, ἀποχωρήσαιμεν ἄν. |
2. εἰ παρέχοιμεν ἀγοράν, ἔχοιτ᾿ ἂν καὶ σῖτον καὶ οἶνον. |
3. εἰ νῑκήσαιμεν, οὐκ ἂν τὴν χώρᾱν διαρπάσειεν. |
4. ἀξίους ἂν ἔχοι φίλους, εἰ ἔχοιεν τὰ ὅπλα. |
5. εἰ ἀπάγοιμι αὐτοὺς πάλιν εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα, δικαίως ἂν χάριν ἔχοιεν. |
6. εἰ δόξειε τοῖς πεζοῖς ἐπισῑτίζεσθαι, τί ἂν ποιήσαιτε; |
7. εἰ τὰς πύλᾱς κλείσειαν, πολιορκήσαιτε ἂν αὐτοὺς καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν. |
8. εἰ ὁ ποταμὸς μὴ πεζῇ διαβατὸς εἴη,1 πλοῖα συνάγοιεν ἄν. |
9. εἰ δὲ μισθὸν πέμψειεν αὐτοῖς, συμμάχους ἂν ἔχοι δικαίους καὶ ἀγαθούς. |
NOTES. —1 should prove to be. —2 Use the simple dative (861). —3 L. e. if it should seem best to them.
368. The Gods send a Portent. Advance to the Araxes.
διέβαινον δὲ τὸν ποταμὸν πεζῇ· πλοῖα γὰρ οὐκ εἶχον. οὐπώποτε δὲ οὗτος ὁ ποταμὸς διαβατὸς ἦν πεζῇ εἰ μὴ τότε, ἀλλὰ πλοίοις. ἐδόκει δὴ τοῖς στρατηγοῖς καὶ τοῖς στρατιώταις πᾶσι θεῖον εἶναι.
NOTES. —2. ἦν: with force of pluperfect, had been. —3. πλοίοις: dative of instrument (866). —7. σίτου καὶ οἴνου: dependent on μεσταί, stored with. Verbal adjectives signifying fulness and want take the genitive (855).