Future Optative: Active, Middle, and Passive

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Introduction

The future optative adds /οι/ to the future stem and uses the same athematic personal markers as the progressive optative:

     εὑρ/σ/οι/μι > εὑρήσοιμι (Plato, Apology 22d2)

     κατα/λαβ/σ/οι/το > καταλήψοιτο (Lysias 1.23)

ACTIVE

BASE

/σ/

/οι/

/μι        /μεν /ς         /τε /ø         /εν

MIDDLE

BASE

/σ/

/οι/

/μην     /μεθα /σο       /σθε /το       /ντο

It is more common in later Greek [if true, explain].

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Intermediate

The future optative is largely <or exclusively? check> reserved for subordinate clauses in secondary sequence <link>. Consider this sentence:

τούτους δέ γ’ ᾔδη ὅτι εὑρήσοιμι πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ ἐπισταμένους. And I knew that I would find at least them to know many good things.

—Plato, Apology 22d1-2

The verb ᾔδη, “I knew,” is the past time form of οἶδα, “I know,” <link to οἶδα> making what follows (ὅτι εὑρήσοιμι and so on) historical sequence. If Socrates said the same thing but in primary sequence, he would have said οἶδα ὅτι εὐρήσω, “I know that I will find (future indicative).”

Future Optative Active: δο/, “give”

	Singular	Plural
1st Person	δο/σ/οι/μι > δώσοιμι	δο/σ/οι/μεν > δώσοιμεν
2nd Person	δο/σ/οι/ς > δώσοις	δο/σ/οι/τε > δώσοιτε
3rd Person	δο/σ/οι/ø > δώσοι	δο/σ/οι/εν > δώσοιεν

Future Optative Middle: δο/, “give”

	Singular	Plural
1st Person	δο/σ/οι/μην > δωσοίμην	δο/σ/οι/μεθα > δωσοίμεθα
2nd Person	δο/σ/οι/σο > δώσοιο	δο/σ/οι/σθε > δώσοισθε
3rd Person	δο/σ/οι/το > δώσοιτο	δο/σ/οι/ντο > δώσοιντο

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Vocabulary for this lesson (see here for the full lexicon)