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Temporal clause in the optative without ἄν: repeated event

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ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ὁπότε εὐτυχοίη, οὐκ ἀνθρώπων ὑπερεφρόνει, ἀλλὰ θεοῖς χάριν ᾔδει

‘But whenever he prospered he did not look down on people, but thanked the gods.’ (Xen. Ages. 11.2)

A subordinate clause in the optative, introduced by a temporal conjunction, signals a repeated event. The main clause usually contains an imperfect.

Lexical usage

This construction is usually introduced by ὁπότε; in the works of Herodotus also by ὅκως (= Att. ὅπως).

Syntactic usage

The iterative dimension of the main verb (in the imperfect or aorist indicative) can be strengthened by an iterative ἄν or (in Ionic) by the suffix -σκ-.

Example Sentences: 

ἀλλ’ ὅτε δὴ πολύμητις ἀναΐξειεν Ὀδυσσεὺς

στάσκεν, ὑπαὶ δὲ ἴδεσκε κατὰ χθονὸς ὄμματα πήξας

But every time the inventive Ulysses arose, he stood and looked down, eyes downcast. [provisional translation]

ὁ δὲ ἐν τῷ δρόμῳ τὸν μνηστῆρα, ὁπότε ἐγγὺς γένοιτο, κατηκόντιζεν

On the way [Oenomaus] shot down the lover, whenever he came close. ֍

εἰκὸς δήπου ἦν, ὁπότε περ ἐπιδημοίη, μηδὲ μεθ’ ἑνὸς ἄλλου ἰέναι τὸν Ἀστύφιλον ἢ μετὰ Κλέωνος

It was certainly plausible that Astyphilus, whenever he was in the city, accompanied nobody else than Cleon.

ὁπότε δεήσειεν αὐτῷ χρημάτων, τὸ ἴσον διάφορον ὁ πενέστατος τῷ πλουσιωτάτῳ κατέφερε

Whenever he [= Tarquinius Superbus] needed money, the poorest [citizen] contributed as much as the richest. ֍