Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges

---

---

---

INDICATIVE TEMPORAL CLAUSES REFERRING TO PRESENT OR PAST TIME

[*] 2395. Present or past temporal clauses take the indicative when the action is marked as a fact and refers to a definite occasion (negative οὐ). The principal clause commonly has the indicative, but may take any form of the simple sentence.

A. Temporal clauses denoting the same time as that of the principal verb (2383 A).

““ὅτε ταῦτα ἦν, σχεδὸν μέσαι ἦσαν νύκτες” it was about midnight when this was taking place” X. A. 3.1.33, cp. 1. 1. 1, cited in 2388, ἡνίκα δὲ δείλη ἐγίγνετο, ἐφάνη κονιορτός but when it was getting to be afternoon, a cloud of dust appeared 1. 8. 8, ““μέχρι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἴσου ἡγοῦντο, προθύ_μως εἱπόμεθα” as long as they led on equal terms we followed willingly” T. 3.10, ““ὅσον χρόνον ἐκαθέζετο . . . ἀμφὶ τὴν περὶ τὸ φρούριον οἰκονομία_ν, . . . ἀπῆγον ἵππους” as long as he was employed with regulations about the fortress, they kept bringing horses” X. C. 5.3.25, ““ἐν ᾧ ὡπλίζοντο, ἧκον . . . οἱ σκοποί” while they were arming, the scouts came” X. A. 2.2.15, ἕως ἐστὶ καιρός, ἀντιλάβεσθε τῶν πρα_γμάτων ‘while there is opportunity, take our public policy in hand’ D. 1.20.

N. μέμνημαι, οἶδα, ἀκούω often take ὅτε when instead of ὅτι that. Thus, μέμνημαι ὅτε ἐγὼ πρὸς σὲ ἦλθον I remember when (that) I came to you X. C. 1.6.12. ἡνίκα (and ἦμος in poetry) has a similar use. οἶδα ὅτε, ἀκούω ὅτε are probably due to the analogy of μέμνημαι ὅτε, originally I remember (the moment) when.

B. Temporal clauses denoting time prior to that of the principal verb (2383 B).

““ἐπεὶ δ᾽ ἐξῆλθεν, ἐξήγγειλε τοῖς φίλοις τὴν κρίσιν τοῦ Ὀρόντα_ ὡς ἐγένετο” but after he came out, he announced to his friends how the trial of Orontas had resulted” X. A. 1.6.5 (observe that the aorist, and not the pluperfect, is commonly used to denote time previous to that of the main verb; cp. 1943), ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐτελεύτησε Δα_ρεῖος . . ., Τισσαφέρνης διαβάλλει τὸν Κῦρον after Darius died Tissaphernes calumniated Cyrus 1. 1. 3, ὡς τάχιστα ἕως ὑπέφαινεν, ἐθύ_οντο as soon as daylight indistinctly appeared, they sacrificed 4. 3. 9, ἐξ οὗ φίλος εἶναι προσποιεῖται, ἐκ τούτου ὑ_μᾶς ἐξηπάτηκεν ever since Philip pretended to be friendly, from that time on he had deceived you D. 23.193. (On ever since expressed by the dative of the participle, see 1498.)

C. Temporal clauses denoting time subsequent to that of the principal verb (2383 C).

““ἔμειναν ἕως ἀφί_κοντο οἱ στρατηγοί” they waited until the generals arrived” X. H. 1.1.29, ““λοιδοροῦσι τὸν Σωτηρίδα_ν ἔστε ἠνάγκασαν . . . πορεύεσθαι” they kept reviling Soteridas until they forced him to march on” X. A. 3.4.49, καὶ ταῦτα ἐποίουν μέχρι σκότος ἐγένετο and they kept doing this until darkness came on 4. 2. 4, ““τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἀπελύ_σατο δουλεία_ς ὥστ᾽ ἐλευθέρους εἶναι μέχρι οὗ πάλιν αὐτοὶ αὑτοὺς κατεδουλώσαντο” she released the Greeks from slavery so as to be free until they enslaved themselves” P. Menex. 245a.

[*] 2396. When the principal verb is a past indicative with ἄν and denotes non-fulfilment, a temporal clause has, by assimilation of mood, a past tense of the indicative denoting non-fulfilment.

““ὁπηνίκ᾽ ἐφαίνετο ταῦτα πεποιηκὼς . . ., ὡμολογεῖτ᾽ ἂν ἡ κατηγορία_ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ” if it appeared that he had ever done this, his form of accusation would tally with his acts” D. 18.14 (here whenever would make the condition ambiguous), ἐβασάνιζον ἂν μέχρι οὗ αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει they would have kept questioning them under <*>orture as long as they pleased 53. 25, ““οὐκ ἂν ἐπαυόμην . . . ἕως ἀπεπειρά_θην τῆς σοφία_ς ταυτησί_” I would not cease until I had made trial of this wisdom” P. Crat. 396c. See 2185 b.

[*] 2397. The negative is μή only when the temporal relation is regarded as conditional.

ὁπότε τὸ δίκαιον μὴ οἶδα, ὅ ἐστι, σχολῇ εἴσομαι εἴτε ἀρετή τις οὖσα τυγχάνει εἴτε καὶ οὔ when (if) I do not know what justice is, I am scarcely likely to know whether it is or is not a virtue P. R. 354c.