Future conditions
Whether we are talking about present or past time, Greek can characterize conditions as either factual (simple, generalizing) or contrafactual, but conditional statements about the future are different: who can say what is a fact in the future?
Instead, Greek presents conditional statements as either more vivid or less vivid. More vivid statements are confident claims: if the hypothesized “if” clause actually happens, then the apodosis states what will happen, and it’s entirely possible that the “if” clause will take place. Less vivid statements, on the other, are more sceptical: maybe this will happen.
In some ways, the forms of future conditions parallel conditional statements about present and past time. More vivid statements, like factual claims, use the indicative mood in the apodosis; less vivid statements, like contrafactual conditions, mark the apodosis with ἄν (although the future less vivid apodosis uses the optative rather than indicative mood). Like generalizing conditions, future conditions use subjunctive and indicative moods in the protasis. (In the summary below, note in particular that the more vivid condition resembles a present general general condition but with a future tense in the apodosis.) As in other conditions, the tense of the subjunctive and optative verbs expresses aspect, with present tense for ongoing or repeated action and aorist tense for single, completed action.
Here is the general formula:
| Condition | Protasis | Apodosis |
|---|---|---|
| More vivid | ἐάν + subjunctive | future indicative |
| Less vivid | εἰ + optative | optative + ἄν |
Introduction to the future indicative
To express vivid statements about the future, we use the future indicative. Its formation is straightforward:
- use the same endings as you use for the present indicative
- for the active and middle voice, use the stem from the second principal part
- for the passive voice, use the stem from sixth principal part, extended with -ησ-
Compare the present and future indicative tenses of ἄρχω in the third person.
Third singular
| Voice | Present | Future |
|---|---|---|
| Active | ἄρχ-ει | ἄρξ-ει |
| Middle | ἄρχ-εται | ἄρξ-εται |
| Passive | ἄρχ-εται | ἀρχθήσ-εται |
Third plural
| Voice | Present | Future |
|---|---|---|
| Active | ἄρχ-ουσι | ἄρξ-ουσι |
| Middle | ἄρχ-ονται | ἄρξ-ονται |
| Passive | ἄρχ-ονται | ἀρχθήσ-ονται |
Examples of future conditions
Future more vivid:
ἐὰν οἱ γραψάμενοι γράψωνται φόνου, τοῦ φόνου δικασθήσεται ἐν Ἀρείου πάγῷ.
“If the plaintiffs present a charge of murder, the murder case will be heard in the Areopagus.”
Future less vivid (with aorist optative in both clauses):
εἰ οἱ γραψάμενοι γράψαιντο φόνου, τοῦ φόνου δικασθείη ἐν Ἀρείου πάγῷ.
“If the plaintiffs present a charge of murder, the murder case will be heard in the Areopagus (but I’m not sure how likely that is)”