Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges

a. Not in indirect discourse: καί μοι οἱ θεοὶ οὕτως ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐσήμηναν ὥστε καὶ ἰδιώτην ἂν γνῶναι (= ἰδιώτης ἔγνω ἄν or γνοίη ἄν) ὅτι τῆς μοναρχία_ς ἀπέχεσθαί με δεῖ and the gods declared to me so clearly in the sacrifices that even a common man could understand that I must keep aloof from sovereignty X. A. 6.1.31, ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ ἤδη ἔσομαι ὡς μηδὲν ἂν ἔτι κακὸν παθεῖν ( = οὐδὲν ἂν ἔτι πάθοιμι) I shall soon be safe from suffering any further evil X. C. 8.7.27. The difference in meaning is very slight between the construction with the potential optative and that with the infinitive with ἄν representing the potential optative.

N.—Rarely in other cases. Thus, τὰ δὲ ἐντὸς οὕτως ἐκαίετο ὥστε . . . ἥδιστα ἂν ἐς ὕδωρ ψυ_χρὸν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ῥί_πτειν ( = ἔρρι_πτον, 2304) but their internal parts were inflamed to such a degree that they would have been most glad to throw themselves into cold water (had they been permitted) T. 2.49.

b. In indirect discourse: ἆρ᾽ οὖν δοκεῖ τῳ ὑ_μῶν ὀλιγώρως οὕτως ἔχειν χρημάτων Νι_κόδημος ὥστε παραλιπεῖν ( = παρέλιπεν) ἄν τι τῶν τοιούτων; does it seem to any one of you that Nicodemus so despised money that he would have neglected any agreement of the sort? Is. 3.37.