[*] 514. The principal or typical forms of Conditional Sentences may be exhibited as follows:— PARTICULAR CONDITIONS A. SIMPLE CONDITIONS (nothing implied as to fulfilment) Present Time Present Indicative in both clauses:— Past Time Imperfect or Perfect Indicative in both clauses:—
- sī aderat , bene erat, if he was [then] here, it was well.
- sī adfuit , bene fuit, if he has been [was] here, it has been [was] well.
- sī adfuisset , bene fuisset, if he had [then] been here, it would have been well (but he was NOT here).
[*] Note.--The use of tenses in Protasis is very loose in English. Thus if he is alive now is a PRESENT condition, to be expressed in Latin by the Present Indicative; if he is alive next year is a FUTURE condition, expressed in Latin by the Future Indicative. Again, if he were here now is a PRESENT condition contrary to fact, and would be expressed by the Imperfect Subjunctive; if he were to see me thus is a FUTURE condition less vivid, to be expressed by the Present Subjunctive; and so <*>o, if you advised him, he would attend may be future less vivid.
1 D. GENERAL CONDITIONS General Conditions do not usually differ in form from Particular Conditions (A, B, and C), but are sometimes distinguished in the cases following:— Present General Condition (Indefinite Time) a. Present Subjunctive second person singular (Indefinite Subject) in protasis, Present Indicative in apodosis:— b. Perfect Indicative in protasis, Present Indicative in apodosis: Past General Condition (Repeated Action in Past Time) a. Pluperfect Indicative in protasis, Imperfect Indicative in apodosis:—- sī quid dīxerat , crēdēbātur, if he [ever] said anything, it was [always] believed.
- sī quid dīceret , crēdēbātur, if he [ever] said anything, it was [always] believed (= whatever he said was always believed).
A. 1. εἰ πράσσει τοῦτο, καλῶς ἔχει. | 2. εἰ ἔπρασσε τοῦτο, καλῶς εἶχεν. |
B. 1. ἐὰν πράσσῃ τοῦτο, καλῶς ἕξει. | 2. εἰ πράσσοι τοῦτο, καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι. |
C. 1. εἰ ἔπρασσε τοῦτο, καλῶς ἂν εἶχεν. | 2. εἰ ἔπραξε τοῦτο, καλῶς ἂν ἔσχεν. |
D. 1. ἐάν τις κλέπτῃ, κολάζεται. | 2. εἴ τις κλέπτοι, ἐκολάζετο. |