LESSON XL: Optative Middle and Passive. Optative after Verbs of Fearing.
Paradigms for the Optative Middle and Passive
378. Learn the conjugation of the optative middle and passive of the present (λῡοίμην), future (λῡσοίμην), and aorist (λῡσαίμην) tenses of λύω.
| Present Optative Middle and Passive of λύω | |
|---|---|
| First Person Singular | λῡοί-μην |
| Second Person Singular | λύοι-ο |
| Third Person Singular | λύοι-το |
| Second Person Dual | λύοι-σθον |
| Third Person Dual | λῡοί-σθην |
| First Person Plural | λῡοί-μεθα |
| Second Person Plural | λύοι-σθε |
| Third Person Plural | λύοι-ντο |
| Future Optative Middle and Passive of λύω | |
|---|---|
| First Person Singular | λῡσοί-μην |
| Second Person Singular | λύσοι-ο |
| Third Person Singular | λύσοι-το |
| Second Person Dual | λύσοι-σθον |
| Third Person Dual | λῡσοί-σθην |
| First Person Plural | λῡσοί-μεθα |
| Second Person Plural | λύσοι-σθε |
| Third Person Plural | λύσοι-ντο |
| Aorist Optative Middle of λύω | |
|---|---|
| First Person Singular | λῡσαί-μην |
| Second Person Singular | λύσαι-ο |
| Third Person Singular | λύσαι-το |
| Second Person Dual | λύσαι-σθον |
| Third Person Dual | λῡσαί-σθην |
| First Person Plural | λῡσαί-μεθα |
| Second Person Plural | λύσαι-σθε |
| Third Person Plural | λύσαι-ντο |
| Aorist Optative Passive of λύω | |
|---|---|
| First Person Singular | λυθείη-ν |
| Second Person Singular | λυθείη-ς |
| Third Person Singular | λυθείη |
| Second Person Dual | λυθεῖ-τον or λυθείη-τον |
| Third Person Dual | λυθεί-την λυθειή-την |
| First Person Plural | λυθεῖ-μεν λυθείη-μεν |
| Second Person Plural | λυθεῖ-τε λυθείη-τε |
| Third Person Plural | λυθεῖε-ν λυθείη-σαν |
379. The mood suffix is ι, as in the active (362), except in the aorist passive; here it is ιη in the singular and sometimes in the dual and plural, but the shorter forms λυθεῖτον, λυθείτην, etc., occur more frequently. In these forms the accent does not go back of the mood suffix. The optative middle and passive uses the middle and passive secondary endings (175), except in the aorist passive, where the active endings occur (145).
The Optative After Verbs Denoting Fear
381. After verbs denoting fear, caution, or danger, μή, that or lest, takes the optative after secondary tenses. The negative form is μὴ οὐ.
1. ἔδεισα μὴ τὰς γεφύρᾱς λύοιεν, I feared that they would destroy the bridges.
2. ἐδείσαμεν μὴ οὐ πιστοὶ εἶτε,we feared that you would not be faithful.
The verb which denotes fear is here in a secondary tense (cf. 333), and the subordinate clause takes the optative.
GRAMMATICAL NOTES
840. Verbs signifying to name, choose or appoint, make, think or regard, and the like, may take a predicate accusative besides the object accusative. Thus, πατέρα Ξενοφῶντα ἐκάλουν, they called Xenophon ‘father,’ φίλον ποιήσωμεν τοῦτον, let us make him our friend, τὸν σατράπην φίλον οὐ νομιεῖ, he will not regard the satrap as a friend.
849. The genitive (as ablative) may denote that from which anything is separated or distinguished. On this principle the genitive follows verbs denoting to remove, restrain, release, cease, fail, differ, give up, and the like. Thus, διέσχον ἀλλήλων ὡς τριάκοντα στάδια, they were about thirty furlongs distant from one another, ἐπέσχον τῆς πορείᾱς, they desisted from marching, πολέμου ἡδέως παύσεται, he will be glad to stop fighting.
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.
382. VOCABULARY.
| εἴσω (cf. εἰς) | adv., inside, within. |
| ἑκατέρωθεν | adv.,on both sides or flanks. |
| εὐνοϊκῶς (cf. εὔνους) | adv., with good will, kindly. |
| ἐχθρός, ά, όν | hostile; ἐχθρός, ο, as noun, enemy, foe. |
| κύκλος, ου, ὁ | circle, curve. |
| κυκλόω, κυκλώσω, etc. | encircle, hem in. |
| ὅμως | adv., nevertheless, yet, still, however. |
| πλησιάζω (πλησιαδ), πλησιάσω, etc. | approach. |
| στερέω, στερήσω, etc. | deprive, rob, bereave. |
| σῴζω (σω, σωδ), σώσω, ἔσωσα, σέσωκα, σέσωμαι and σέσωσμαι, ἐσώθην | save, rescue, keep safe; mid. and pass., save oneself, be saved alive, return safely. |
| σῶμα, ατος, τό | body, life, person. |
383. READ ALOUD AND TRANSLATE:
| 1. ἔδεισε μὴ οἱ ἐχθροὶ τῑμηθεῖεν. |
| 2. εἰ οἱ Ἕλληνες πλησιάζοιεν, φοβηθεῖεν ἂν οἱ πολέμιοι. |
| 3. Ξενοφῶντα ἄρχοντα ἐποιησάμεθα ἵνα σωθεῖμεν. |
| 4. εὐνοϊκῶς ἂν ἔχοι1 τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ὁ Κῦρος, εἰ ψηφίσαιντο συμπορεύεσθαι. |
| 5. εἰ ὅπλα μὴ ἔχοιμεν, καὶ τῶν σωμάτων2 στερηθεῖμεν ἄν. |
| 6. εἰ δὲ πιεζοίμεθα ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, πορευοίμεθα ἂν κύκλῳ3. |
| 7. οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται ἔδεισαν μὴ καταλειφθείησαν. |
| 8. εἰ νῑκήσαιμεν, καὶ (both) σῳζοίμεθα ἂν καὶ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἂν ἔχοιμεν. |
| 9. ἀλλ᾿ ὅμως ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐφοβήθη μὴ κυκλωθείη ἑκατέρωθεν. |
| 10. παρεκάλουν τοὺς ἄνδρας εἴσω ὅπως αὐτοῖς συμβουλευοίμην τί δίκαιόν ἐστι καὶ πρὸς θεῶν καὶ πρὸς ἀνθρώπων. |
NOTES.—1 be well disposed. ἔχω is used with an adverb in the sense of εἰμί with an adjective. Cf. καλῶς ἔχει in 308.—2 Verbs of depriving may take a genitive of the thing. Cf. 838. This is the genitive of separation (849).—3 Dative of manner (866).
385. The Soldiers go hunting.
οἱ γὰρ ὄνοι, ἐπεὶ οἱ στρατιῶται ἐδίωκον, προέτρεχον·
καὶ πάλιν, ἐπεὶ ἐπλησίαζον οἱ ἵπποι, ταὐτὸ ἐποίουν, καὶ
οὐκ ἦν λαμβάνειν εἰ μὴ οἱ στρατιῶται διετάττοντο.
στρουθὸν δὲ οὐδεὶς (nobody) ἔλαβεν. ταῖς γὰρ πτέρυξιν
NOTES.—2. ἦν: was possible. Cf. ἔστι in 6.—3. διετάττοντο: posted themselves at intervals, and thus took up the chase in succession.—4. ἔλαβε: second aorist of λαμβάνω. —πτέρυξιν: χράομαι takes the dative. Cf. 309, 1. —5. ἐχρῆτο: irregular contraction for ἐχρᾶτο.—7. βραχύ: a short distance.
