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The term indirect speech, also known as reported speech or indirect discourse (U.S.), refers to sentences which report the words spoken or written by someone but without using the exact wording of the original speech. The three main types of indirect speech are indirect statements, indirect questions, and indirect commands. Usually such sentences are dependent on introductory verbs of speaking such as "say", "ask", or "order". Indirect sentences are also found after non-speaking verbs such as "find out", "know", or "believe".

In Ancient Greek, various grammatical changes take place when a sentence is made indirect. In some indirect sentences, the verb is changed to the infinitive, and in others to the optative mood. Sometimes the tense changes from present to past, or a finite verb is replaced by a participle. But in other sentences there is no change in tense or mood. Indirect speech often involves a change of person, for example from 2nd to 3rd person.

Overview

Infinitive clauses

In indirect statements the quoted verb is often changed to an infinitive. This is common after verbs of speaking, especially φημί (phēmí) "I say", but also after verbs with meanings such as "think" and "believe". Different tenses of the infinitive are used (present, future, aorist, or perfect) according to the tense of the verb in the quoted speech.

There are two main constructions. If the subject of the infinitive is the same as subject of the verb of speaking, it is usually omitted:

Πέρσης ἔφη εἶναι. (Xenophon)

Pérsēs éphē eînai.

"he said he was a Persian" / "he claimed to be a Persian."

If the subject of the infinitive is different from that of the verb of speaking, it is put in the accusative case:

ἔφη δὲ καὶ σὲ εἰδέναι. (Plato)

éphē dè kaì sè eidénai.

"he said that you also know."

The accusative and infinitive construction is typically used when the writer or narrator doesn't vouch for the accuracy of the information quoted, or when the information is actually incorrect:

ἔφασκε τὸν λύχνον ἀποσβεσθῆναι. (Lysias)

éphaske tòn lúkhnon aposbesthênai.

"She claimed that the lamp had gone out" (which later turned out to be untrue)

Herodotus uses this construction to tell the story of how Arion was rescued in the sea by a dolphin, which he clearly finds hard to believe. The accusative and infinitive is used here after the verb λέγω (légō):

τοῦτον τὸν Ἀρίονα λέγουσι, τὸν πολλὸν τοῦ χρόνου διατρίβοντα παρὰ Περιάνδρῳ ἐπιθυμῆσαι πλῶσαι ἐς Ἰταλίην τε καὶ Σικελίην, ἐργασάμενον δὲ χρήματα μεγάλα θελῆσαι ὀπίσω ἐς Κόρινθον ἀπικέσθαι. (Herodotus)

toûton tòn Aríona légousi, tòn pollòn toû khrónou diatríbonta parà Periándrōi, epithumêsai plôsai es Italíēn te kaì Sikelíēn, ergasámenon dè khrḗmata megála, thelêsai opísō es Kórinthon apikésthai.

"they say that this Arion, after spending a long time with Periander, desired to sail to Italy and Sicily, and after earning a lot of money, he wished to go back to Corinth."

Andocides in his speech On the Mysteries uses the infinitive construction to cast doubt on the veracity of a witness's account. The passage begins as follows:

ἔφη γὰρ εἶναι μὲν ἀνδράποδόν οἱ ἐπὶ Λαυρείῳ, δεῖν δὲ κομίσασθαι ἀποφοράν. (Andocides)

éphē gàr eînai mèn andrápodón hoi epì Laureíōi, deîn dè komísasthai apophorán.

"for he said that there was a slave belonging to him at Laureion, and that it was necessary to go and fetch the slave's earnings."

Plato similarly uses infinitives in the framework of his work Symposium, in which a narrator gives an account of a banquet which had happened some years previously and which he heard about only at second hand. In the following typical sentence, not only the main verb but also the verb in the temporal clause is replaced by an infinitive:

εὐθὺς δ᾽ οὖν ὡς ἰδεῖν τὸν Ἀγάθωνα, ὦ, φάναι, Ἀριστόδημε, εἰς καλὸν ἥκεις. (Plato)

euthùs d᾽ oûn hōs ideîn tòn Agáthōna, ô, phánai, Aristódēme, eis kalòn hḗkeis.

"so (it would seem) that as soon as Agathon saw him, he said, "O Aristodemus, you are welcome!"

An infinitive construction is also commonly used when reporting someone's belief or opinion:

φημὶ δὴ χρῆναι πειρᾶσθαι. (Demosthenes)

phēmì dḕ khrênai peirâsthai.

"I declare that we must try."

ἔλεγον οὐ καλῶς τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐλευθεροῦν αὐτόν, εἰ ἄνδρας διέφθειρεν. (Thucydides)

élegon ou kalôs tḕn Helláda eleutheroûn autón, ei ándras diéphtheiren.

"they said that he was not freeing Greece in a good way, if he was killing men."

Another use for the infinitive is after the verb ὑπισχνέομαι (hupiskhnéomai) "I promise". The future infinitive is used:

ὁ δʼ ὑπέσχετο ταῦτα ποιήσειν. (Lysias)

ho dʼ hupéskheto taûta poiḗsein.

"and he promised that he would do this."

When an indirect statement using φημί (phēmí) "I say" is negative, it is usual to put the negative particle οὐ (ou) with the verb of speaking:

οὐκ ἔφη δώσειν. (Demosthenes)

ouk éphē dṓsein.

"he said he would not give (them)"

ὅτι clauses

Another verb common way of reporting speech in ancient Greek is to use the conjunction ὅτι (hóti) followed by a finite verb. This is typically used after the verbs λέγω (légō) "I say" and εἶπον (eîpon) "I said", and also after verbs with meanings such as "know", "understand" and "it is clear that", where there is no need to doubt that the reported words are true.

Sometimes after ὅτι the actual words of speech are given, without change of tense, mood, or person:

οἱ δὲ εἶπον ὅτι ἱκανοί ἐσμεν. (Xenophon)

hoi dè eîpon hóti hikanoí esmen.

"And they said (that) 'We are ready'."

ἐγὼ δʼ εἶπον ὅτι “οὐκ ἐγώ σε ἀποκτενῶ, ἀλλʼ ὁ τῆς πόλεως νόμος. (Lysias)

egṑ dʼ eîpon hóti “ouk egṓ se apoktenô, allʼ ho tês póleōs nómos.

"And I said that 'It is not I who am going to kill you, but the law of the city'."

In other sentences, the tense and mood are kept just as in the original speech but the persons are changed. Thus the following sentence uses the future indicative, but the person is changed from "I" to "he":

λέγει ὅτι ἄξει αὐτοὺς πέντε ἡμερῶν εἰς χωρίον ὅθεν ὄψονται θάλατταν. (Xenophon)

légei hóti áxei autoùs pénte hēmerôn eis khōríon hóthen ópsontai thálattan.

"He said that he would lead (lit. will lead) them in five days to a place from where they would see the sea."

In other sentences, the tense is kept the same, but the mood is changed to optative. This change to optative is optional, and only occurs when the context is past, that is after a verb in a secondary tense. Thus in the following example, the original aorist indicative tense ἔπεμψεν (épempsen) is changed to the aorist optative πέμψειε (pémpseie):

ἔλεξαν ὅτι πέμψειε σφᾶς ὁ Ἰνδῶν βασιλεύς. (Xenophon)

ἔλεξαν ὅτι πέμψειε σφᾶς ὁ Ἰνδῶν βασιλεύς.

"They said that it was the king of the Indians who had sent them."

Another feature illustrated by the above example is the pronoun σφεῖς, σφᾶς (spheîs, sphâs) "they, them", which is regularly used reflexively in indirect speech to refer to the subject of the verb of speaking (see below for further examples).

οἶδα ὅτι μέμνησθε. (Demosthenes)

oîda hóti mémnēsthe.

"I know that you remember."

ὡς clauses

Instead of ὅτι (hóti), verb of speaking can be followed by ὡς (hōs), literally "how". There is a slight difference between the two conjunctions. ὡς (hōs) tends to be used when the statement is "an opinion, a pretext, or untrue", or when the main or subordinate clause is negative.

λέγουσιν ὡς οὐδὲν κακὸν οὐδʼ αἰσχρὸν εἰργασμένοι εἰσίν. (Lysias)

légousin hōs oudèn kakòn oudʼ aiskhròn eirgasménoi eisín.

"they claim that they have done nothing wrong or to be ashamed of."

ἐρεῖ δὲ ὡς ὀργισθεὶς εἴρηκεν. (Lysias)

ereî dè hōs orgistheìs eírēken.

"he will say that he spoke in anger."

τί δέ; οὐ σὺ λέγεις ὡς ἐγὼ οὐδὲν ἐπίσταμαι περὶ τῶν δικαίων καὶ ἀδίκων; (Plato)

tí dé? ou sù légeis hōs egṑ oudèn epístamai perì tôn dikaíōn kaì adíkōn?

"what? are you not claiming that I understand nothing about what is just and unjust?"

The construction is also used in contexts where something has to be proved or not:

ὡς δʼ ἀληθῆ λέγω, μάρτυρας παρέξομαι. (Lysias)

ὡς δʼ ἀληθῆ λέγω, μάρτυρας παρέξομαι.

"to prove that I'm telling the truth, I will produce witnesses."

καὶ ὡς Θεσμοφορίοις ἐμοῦ ἐν ἀγρῷ ὄντος ᾤχετο εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς τῆς ἐκείνου.

ἐνθυμούμενος μὲν ὡς ἀπεκλῄσθην ἐν τῷ δωματίῳ, ἀναμιμνῃσκόμενος δὲ ὅτι ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐψόφει ἡ μέταυλος θύρα καὶ ἡ αὔλειος

ὡς δὲ ἀληθῆ λέγω, αὐτὸ ὑμῖν τὸ ψήφισμα δηλώσει. Lysias 13.71

καὶ ὡς ἀληθῆ λέγω, τοῦτο τὸ ψήφισμα ἐλέγξε Lysias 13.72

ἀπελογοῦντο ὡς οὐκ ἄν ποτε οὕτω μῶροι ἦσαν εἰ εἴδεσαν. Hell 5.4.22.

"they pleaded that they would never have been so foolish if they had known."

ὁ μὲν γὰρ διώκων ὡς ἔκτεινε διόμνυται, ὁ δὲ φεύγων ὡς οὐκ ἔκτεινεν. Lys. 10.11

κατηγόρει πρῶτον μὲν ὡς μετὰ τὴν ἐκφορὰν αὐτῇ προσίοι, ἔπειτα ὡς αὐτὴ τελευτῶσα εἰσαγγείλειε καὶ ὡς ἐκείνη τῷ χρόνῳ πεισθείη, καὶ τὰς εἰσόδους οἷς τρόποις προσίοιτο, καὶ ὡς Θεσμοφορίοις ἐμοῦ ἐν ἀγρῷ ὄντος ᾤχετο εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς τῆς ἐκείνου· καὶ τἆλλα τὰ γενόμενα πάντα ἀκριβῶς διηγήσατο. 1.20

δεῖ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, Ἐρατοσθένην δυοῖν θάτερον ἀποδεῖξαι, ἢ ὡς οὐκ ἀπήγαγεν αὐτόν, ἢ ὡς δικαίως τοῦτʼ ἔπραξεν. 12.34

Indirect commands

Indirect commands are usually made with the infinitive. Often the subject of the infinitive is not expressed:

παρεκελεύετο αἴθειν καὶ φθείρειν τὴν χώραν. (Xenophon)

parekeleúeto aíthein kaì phtheírein tḕn khṓran.

"He was encouraging them to burn and destroy the country."

ἐκέλευον συνδειπνεῖν (Lysias)

ekéleuon sundeipneîn

"I invited him to join me for dinner."

Sometimes, however, the verb of command has an object, which is also the subject of the infinitive. In the following example the object is in the accusative case:

ἐκέλευεν ἡμᾶς (acc.) εἰσιέναι. (Plato)

ekéleuen hēmâs eisiénai.

"he invited us to enter."

Indirect questions

Indirect questions can begin with εἰ (ei) "if" or with a question-word such as ὅ τι (hó ti) (spelled as two separate words) "what". Just as with ὅτι (hóti) clauses, the verb may be changed to the optative mood, but only when the context is past.

οὐκ ἴστε ὅ τι ποιεῖτε. (Xenophon)

ouk íste hó ti poieîte.

"you don't know what you are doing."

An indirect question can follow not only a verb meaning "ask" but also "do":

ποιεῖν ἐκέλευεν ὅ τι βούλομαι. (Lysias)

ποιεῖν ἐκέλευεν ὅ τι βούλομαι.

"she told me to do whatever I wanted."

Just as with ὅτι clauses, the verb in an indirect question can optionally be changed to the optative mood when the context is past:

ἐφύλαττεν ἕως ἐξηῦρεν ὅ τι εἴη τὸ αἴτιον. (Lysias)

ephúlatten héōs exēûren hó ti eíē tò aítion.

"she kept watch until she discovered what the reason was."

ᾤετο ἀναγκάσειν αὐτὸν ποιεῖν ὅ τι βούλοιτο.

ἠρώτων διὰ τί ὑβρίζει εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν ἐμὴν εἰσιών.

ποιεῖν ἐκέλευεν ὅ τι βούλομαι· οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰδέναι.

οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγʼ οἶδʼ ὅ τι χρὴ λέγειν ἄλλο. Dem 19.220

ἅπαντες γὰρ ἴσμεν τίνι μηνὶ καὶ τίνι ἡμέρᾳ ἡ εἰρήνη ἐγένετο. Dem 7.36

γεγονυίας τῆς συμμαχίας οὔ φησιν εἰδέναι τί ἂν ποιῶν χαρίσαιτο. Dem 19.40

ἐφύλαττεν ἕως ἐξηῦρεν ὅ τι εἴη τὸ αἴτιον.

Infinitive clauses (detail)

In indirect statements the verb is very frequently changed to an infinitive. This construction is especially used when the verb of speaking is φημί (phēmí) "I say" but also after verbs such as ὐπισχνέομαι (upiskhnéomai) "I promise", οἶμαι (oîmai) "I think", and in indirect commands after verbs such as κελεύω (keleúō) "I order". Sometimes the verb of speaking is omitted and is to be understood from the context.

Subject of the infinitive

When the subject of the quoted verb is the same as the subject of the verb of speaking, it is usually simply omitted:

οὐδὲν ἔφη εἰδέναι. (Xenophon)

oudèn éphē eidénai.

"he said he had no idea."

οἶμαί γʼ εἰδέναι. (Plato)

oîmaí gʼ eidénai.

"I think I know."

There is also no subject when the verb is an impersonal one, such as χρῆναι (khrênai) "to be necessary":

φημὶ δὴ χρῆναι πειρᾶσθαι. (Demosthenes)

phēmì dḕ khrênai peirâsthai.

"I say that we must try."

When an infinitive has no subject, a predicate noun is also nominative:

ἀδελφὸς ἔφη εἶναι τοῦ Ἀρτέμωνος. (Demosthenes)

adelphòs éphē eînai toû Artémōnos.

"he said he was Artemon's brother."

The verb can be reinforced by αὐτός (autós) "himself" in the nominative case:

αὐτὸς δʼ οὐκ ἔφη ἰέναι. (Xenophon)

autòs dʼ ouk éphē iénai.

"he said that he would not go himself."

If the subject of the infinitive is different from the subject of the verb of speaking, it is put in the accusative case:

ἔφη δὲ καὶ σὲ εἰδέναι. (Plato)

éphē dè kaì sè eidénai.

"he said that you also know."

When a pronoun is added for emphasis, it is usually put in the accusative, even when it refers to the same subject as that of the verb of speaking:

οἶμαι ἐμὲ πλείω χρήματα εἰργάσθαι ἢ ἄλλους σύνδυο. (Plato)

oîmai emè pleíō khrḗmata eirgásthai ḕ állous súnduo.

"I think I made more money than any other two together."

Tenses of the infinitive

Ancient Greek has four tenses of the infinitive: present, future, aorist, and perfect. These four tenses correspond to the various tenses used in the original direct speech as follows:

• A present indicative of direct speech becomes a present infinitive:

φεύγειν δὲ αἰσχρὸν ἔφη εἶναι. (Xenophon)

pheúgein dè aiskhròn éphē eînai.

"he said it was shameful to run away."

• An imperfect indicative becomes a present infinitive:

ἀναστὰς δὲ πρῲ βαδίζειν· εἶναι δὲ πανσέληνον. (Andocides)

anastàs dè prṑi badízein; eînai dè pansélēnon.

"(he says that) after getting up early he set out; and there was a full moon."

μετὰ ταῦτα ἔφη σφᾶς μὲν δειπνεῖν, τὸν δὲ Σωκράτη οὐκ εἰσιέναι. (Plato)

metà taûta éphē sphâs mèn deipneîn, tòn dè Sōkrátē ouk eisiénai.

"he said that after that they themselves began to dine, but Socrates didn't enter."

• An aorist indicative becomes an aorist infinitive:

• A perfect indicative becomes a perfect infinitive:

φησὶ δὲ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἡμῶν ἀποδεδωκέναι. (Demosthenes)

phēsì dè toùs aikhmalṓtous hēmôn apodedōkénai.

"he says that he has given back our prisoners."

• A future indicative becomes a future infinitive:

ὁ δʼ ὑπέσχετο ταῦτα ποιήσειν. (Lysias)

ho dʼ hupéskheto taûta poiḗsein.

"and he promised that he would do this."

• A potential aorist with ἄν (án) becomes an aorist infinitive with ἄν (án):

λέγοντος ἄν τινος πιστεῦσαι οἴεσθε; (Demosthenes)

légontos án tinos pisteûsai oíesthe?

"if someone had told them, do you think they would have believed it?" (εἴ τις ἔλεγεν, ἐπίστευσαν ἄν;)

• A potential present optative with ἄν (án) becomes a present infinitive with ἄν (án):

νομἰζοντες ἂν τιμῆς τυγχάνειν (Xenophon)

nomizontes àn timês tunkhánein

"thinking that they would get honour"

Verbs of speaking with ὅτι

Semi-direct speech with ὅτι

Sometimes the actual words spoken can be used even though introduced by ὅτι:

ἐγὼ δʼ εἶπον ὅτι “οὐκ ἐγώ σε ἀποκτενῶ, ἀλλʼ ὁ τῆς πόλεως νόμος.” (Lysias)

οἱ δὲ εἶπον ὅτι ἱκανοί ἐσμεν (Xenophon)

Tenses of the optative in indirect speech

The optative mood in Greek has the same four tenses as the infinitive (present, future, aorist, perfect) as the infinitive. The tenses are used in ὅτι clauses and indirect questions are similar to those used with the infinitive, except that often the mood remains unchanged.

• A present indicative of direct speech becomes a present optative:

εἶπον ὅτι οὗτος ὁ φοιτῶν εἴη πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα.

ὁ δʼ ἔφασκεν, εἰ πολλὰ εἴη. εἶπον ὅτι τάλαντον ἀργυρίου ἕτοιμος εἴην δοῦναι Lysias 12.9

ἐφύλαττεν ἕως ἐξηῦρεν ὅ τι εἴη τὸ αἴτιον.

• An imperfect indicative sometimes becomes a present optative, but usually the indicative is retained to avoid ambiguity as in the following:

ἤκουσεν ὅτι πολλάκις πρὸς τὸν Ἰνδὸν οἱ Χαλδαῖοι ἐπορεύοντο. Cyr 3.2.27.

ḗkousen hóti pollákis pròs tòn Indòn hoi Khaldaîoi eporeúonto. Cyr 3.2.27.

"he heard that (in the past) the Chaldaeans often voyaged to the Indian king."

εἶχε γὰρ λέγειν ὅτι μόνοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων βασιλεῖ συνεμάχοντο ἐν Πλαταιαῖς. Hell 7.1.34.

eîkhe gàr légein hóti mónoi tôn Hellḗnōn basileî sunemákhonto en Plataiaîs.

"he was able to say that they alone of the Greeks had fought on the King's side at Plataea."

• An aorist indicative becomes an aorist optative:

ἥκων δὲ ἔλεγεν ὅτι Ἐρατοσθένης αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ λαβὼν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἀπαγάγοι.

ἔλεγον ὅτι κατίδοιεν νύκτωρ πολλὰ πυρὰ φαίνοντα.

ᾧ καὶ δῆλον ἐγένετο ὅτι τούτου ἕνεκα ἔλθοι.

καὶ πάλιν ὑμᾶς ἐδίδαξʼ ὅτι τούτων οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν ἐποίησεν οὗτος. Dem 24.108.

• A perfect indicative becomes a perfect optative, which is often expressed periphrastically, using a perfect participle + εἴη (eíē), the optative of εἰμί (eimí) "I am":

ἐπεὶ ἔγνωσαν οἱ Ἡρακλεῶται ὅτι ἐκπλεῖν δεδογμένον εἴη καὶ Ξενοφῶν αὐτὸς ἐπεψηφικὼς εἴη, τὰ πλοῖα πέμπουσι.

epeì égnōsan hoi Hērakleôtai hóti ekpleîn dedogménon eíē kaì Xenophôn autòs epepsēphikṑs eíē, tà ploîa pémpousi.

"When the people of Heraclea learnt that it had been decided to sail and that Xenophon himself had voted in favour, they sent the ships."

Sometimes, however, the perfect optative active is a single word:

ἔλεγον ὅτι οἱ μετὰ Δημοσθένους παραδεδώκοιεν σφᾶς αὐτούς. (Thucydides)

élegon hóti hoi metà Dēmosthénous paradedṓkoien sphâs autoús.

"they told him that the men with Demosthenes had surrendered themselves."

• A future indicative becomes a future optative:

ἔλεγεν ὅτι ἡ ὁδὸς ἔσοιτο πρὸς βασιλέα μέγαν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα.

• An potential imperfect indicative with ἄν (án) always remains unchanged:

ἀπελογοῦντο ὡς οὐκ ἄν ποτε οὕτω μῶροι ἦσαν εἰ εἴδεσαν. Hell 5.4.22.

"they pleaded that they would never have been so foolish if they had known."

• A potential aorist with ἄν (án) is unchanged:
• A potential present optative with ἄν (án) is unchanged

Ξενοφῶν δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο ὅτι οὐδὲν ἂν τούτων εἴποι εἰς τὴν στρατιάν. An 5.6.37.

γράφει ἐπιστολὴν παρὰ βασιλέα ὅτι ἥξοι ἔχων ἱππέας ὡς ἂν δύνηται πλείστους. An. 1.6.3.

ἠπείλουν αὐτῷ ὅτι εἰ λήψονται ἀποδιδράσκοντα, τὴν δίκην ἐπιθήσοιεν. An. 5.6.34.

Other verbs with ὅτι

Sometimes, οἶδα (oîda) is followed by ὅτι (hóti) "that":

οἶδα ὅτι μέμνησθε. (Demosthenes)

oîda hóti mémnēsthe.

"I know that you remember."

Subordinate clauses

In indirect conditional clauses, in a historic context, ἐάν + subjunctive may optionally be changed to εἰ + optative. However, an imperfect or aorist indicative in the protasis of an unreal conditional sentence is not changed to the optative.

ἐπειδὴ δὲ γενέσθαι ἐπὶ τῇ οἰκίᾳ [174ε] τῇ Ἀγάθωνος, ἀνεῳγμένην καταλαμβάνειν τὴν θύραν, καί τι ἔφη αὐτόθι γελοῖον παθεῖν

εὐθὺς δ᾽ οὖν ὡς ἰδεῖν τὸν Ἀγάθωνα, ὦ, φάναι, Ἀριστόδημε, εἰς καλὸν ἥκεις ὅπως συνδειπνήσῃς Sym 174e

εἶπεν ὅτι, ἐπειδὰν πρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ γένηται αὐτῷ, τότε οἰχήσεται. Phd 118a

σχεδὸν <γὰρ> ἐπίστασθε ἅπαντες ὅτι ἀληθῆ λέγω Lysias 10.5

οὐκ ἔστι τῶν ἀπορρήτων, ἐάν τις εἴπῃ τὸν πατέρα ἀπεκτονέναι Lysias 10.6

ἐν δὲ τῷ νόμῳ εἴρηται, “ἐάν τις φάσκῃ ἀποβεβληκέναι, ὑπόδικον εἶναι”

ὁ δʼ ἔφασκεν, εἰ πολλὰ εἴη. εἶπον ὅτι τάλαντον ἀργυρίου ἕτοιμος εἴην δοῦναι Lysias 12.9

καὶ ταῦθʼ ὅτι ἀληθῆ λέγω, πάντες ἐπίστασθε Lysias 21.10

καὶ γὰρ ἂν οὗτός τι πάθῃ, ταχέως ὑμεῖς ἕτερον Φίλιππον ποιήσετε Demosthenes, 4.11

καὶ ἐπανιὼν οὕτως ἡμῖν ἐπεδείκνυτο ὅτι ψύχοιτό τε καὶ πήγνυτο. Plato Phaed.

ἐπυθόμεθα ὅτι τὸ πλοῖον ἐκ Δήλου ἀφιγμένον εἴη

τούτῳ ἀπεκρινάμηνὅτι ἐν μὲν τῷ παρόντι προσήκει θάπτειν τὸν τετελευτηκότα Dem 48.6.

σφόδρα γε βούλεται τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐλευθέρους εἶναι καὶ αὐτονόμους, ὡς δηλοῖ τὰ ἔργα. Dem 7.32

περὶ δὲ τῶν ὑποσχέσεων ὧν ὑμῖν διατελεῖ ὑπισχνούμενος ὡς μεγάλα ὑμᾶς εὐεργετήσων, καταψεύδεσθαί μέ φησιν αὐτοῦ διαβάλλοντα πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὑμῖν πώποτέ φησιν ὑπεσχῆσθαι. Dem 7.33

ἃ γράφειν ἂν ἤδη, εἰ ᾔδει τὴν εἰρήνην ἐσομένην Dem 7.33

ὑμῖν δʼ ἐν τῇ νῦν ἐπιστολῇ ὑπισχνεῖται, ἐὰν τοῖς μὲν αὑτοῦ φίλοις καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λέγουσι πιστεύητε, ἡμᾶς δὲ τοὺς διαβάλλοντας αὐτὸν πρὸς ὑμᾶς τιμωρήσησθε, ὡς μεγάλα εὐεργετήσει. Dm 7.33

ἀκούσας ταῦτα ὁ Κλέανδρος εἶπεν ὅτι Δέξιππον μὲν οὐκ ἐπαινοίη, εἰ ταῦτα πεποιηκὼς εἴη An 6.6.25

βούλεσθʼ οὖν εἰδέναι καὶ ἀκοῦσαι τὸ τούτων αἴτιον Dem 19.227

ἃ δʼ ἀπήγγειλε πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὑμεῖς οἶδʼ ὅτι μέμνησθε πάντες Dem. 19.304

εἰ γὰρ εἰδείης ὅσον ἀργύριον εἴργασμαι ἐγώ, θαυμάσαις ἄν. (Plato)

ἀλλ᾽ οὕτω χρὴ ποιεῖν, εἰ σοὶ δοκεῖ, ἔφη φάναι τὸν Ἀγάθωνα.

μετὰ ταῦτα ἔφη σφᾶς μὲν δειπνεῖν, τὸν δὲ Σωκράτη οὐκ εἰσιέναι. τὸν οὖν Ἀγάθωνα πολλάκις κελεύειν μεταπέμψασθαι τὸν Σωκράτη, ἓ δὲ οὐκ ἐᾶν

εἰ δὲ τοῦτο πάντες ἐποιοῦμεν, ἅπαντες ἂν ἀπωλόμεθα Ana 5.8.13.

ἐφύλαττεν ἕως ἐξηῦρεν ὅ τι εἴη τὸ αἴτιον. Lys 1.15

ἔλεγον ὅτι ἐγὼ πάντα εἴην πεπυσμένος τὰ γιγνόμενα ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ Lys 1.18

ἀξιῶ δέ σε ἐπʼ αὐτοφώρῳ ταῦτά μοι ἐπιδεῖξαι

ἡ θεράπαινα ἐπεγείρασά με εὐθὺς φράζει ὅτι ἔνδον ἐστί. 1.23

ἐκ τῆς Ἐπιδάμνου ἦλθον ἄγγελοιὅτι πολιορκοῦνται Thu 1.27.1.

εἰδὼς δʼ ἐγὼ ὅτι τηνικαῦτα ἀφιγμένος οὐδένα note καταλήψοιτο οἴκοι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, ἐκέλευον συνδειπνεῖν

εἶπον ὅτι σφίσι μὲν δοκοῖεν ἀδικεῖν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι

ἀλλʼ ἠπείλουν αὐτῷ ὅτι εἰ λήψονται ἀποδιδράσκοντα, τὴν δίκην ἐπιθήσοιεν. Anabasis 5.6.34

οἶμαί γʼ, ἔφη, εἰδέναι. Prt. 312c

ὅποι δὲ οὐδὲν ἔφη εἰδέναι. Xen. Hell. 3.4.1.

ἐρωτώμενος δὲ ποδαπὸς εἴη Πέρσης μὲν ἔφη εἶναι (Xenophon)

ἔφασκε τὸν λύχνον ἀποσβεσθῆναι τὸν παρὰ τῷ παιδίῳ, εἶτα ἐκ τῶν γειτόνων ἐνάψασθαι

ἔδοξε δέ μοι, ὦ ἄνδρες, τὸ πρόσωπον ἐψιμυθιῶσθαι,

εἶπεν ὅτι ἡ μὲν πόλις σφῶν τετείχισται ἤδη Th 1.91.4

τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ καταλαβόντες αὐτὸν ἔλεγονὅτι οἱ μετὰ Δημοσθένους παραδεδώκοιεν σφᾶς αὐτούς Thuc 7.83.1

ἐξεπλάγη ἡγησαμένη με πάντα ἀκριβῶς ἐγνωκέναι

κατηγόρει πρῶτον μὲν ὡς μετὰ τὴν ἐκφορὰν αὐτῇ προσίοι

εἶπον ὅτι σφίσι μὲν δοκοῖεν ἀδικεῖν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι Thuc 1.87.4.

ἠγγέλθη ὅτι αἱ νῆες ἀνηγμέναι εἰσὶν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰσθμοῦ Thuc 8.11.3.

ὡς αὐτῷ ἠγγέλθη ὅτι Βοιωτοὶ ἐπέρχονται, Thuc 4.93.2

ὡμολόγει ταῦτα ποιήσειν

ἡ θεράπαινα ἐπεγείρασά με εὐθὺς φράζει ὅτι ἔνδον ἐστί.

ἔλεγον ὅτι ἐγὼ πάντα εἴην πεπυσμένος τὰ γιγνόμενα ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ.

ἀλλὰ λέξει ὅτι μηνυτὴς ἐγένετο καὶ ἕτερος οὐδεὶς ὑμῖν ἐθελήσει μηνύειν, ἐὰν κολάζητε. Lysias 6.43

ἔμπειρος γὰρ ὢν ἐτύγχανον τῆς οἰκίας, καὶ ᾔδη ὅτι ἀμφίθυρος εἴη.

οἶμαι καὶ ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι ὅτι οἱ μὴ τὰ δίκαια πράττοντες οὐχ ὁμολογοῦσι τοὺς ἐχθροὺς λέγειν ἀληθῆ.

οἱ δὲ Συρακόσιοι τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ καταλαβόντες αὐτὸν ἔλεγον ὅτι οἱ μετὰ Δημοσθένους παραδεδώκοιεν σφᾶς αὐτούς, κελεύοντες κἀκεῖνον τὸ αὐτὸ δρᾶν Thuc 7.83.1

12.6

Θέογνις γὰρ καὶ Πείσων ἔλεγον ἐν τοῖς τριάκοντα περὶ τῶν μετοίκων, ὡς εἶέν τινες τῇ πολιτείᾳ ἀχθόμενοι· καλλίστην οὖν εἶναι πρόφασιν τιμωρεῖσθαι μὲν δοκεῖν, τῷ δʼ ἔργῳ χρηματίζεσθαι

ἐγὼ μὲν εὖ ποιῶν αὐτὸν ἠξίουν εἶναί μοι φίλον,

πυθόμενος γὰρ ὅτι τὸ μειράκιον ἦν παρʼ ἐμοί

ἔδοξέ μοι κράτιστον εἶναι ἀποδημῆσαι ἐκ τῆς πόλεως

λέγεις ὅτι σʼ οὐ κατέστησαν εἰς κίνδυνον Dem 20.145

ἡγεῖτο γὰρ ἅπαν ποιήσειν αὐτόν, εἴ τις ἀργύριον διδοίη 12.15

ἔφη γὰρ εἶναι μὲν ἀνδράποδόν οἱ ἐπὶ Λαυρείῳ. (Andocides)

éphē gàr eînai mèn andrápodón hoi epì Laureíōi.

καὶ πάλιν ὑμᾶς ἐδίδαξʼ ὅτι τούτων οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν ἐποίησεν οὗτος. Dem 24.108.

Participle construction

After some verbs, such those meaning "know" or "see", a participle can be substituted for a ὅτι clause. The same tenses (present, future, aorist, perfect) are used as with an infinitive or optative. Just as with the infinitive transformation, the subject of the indirect sentence is put in the accusative, unless it is the same as the subject of the main verb:

ἀπήγγειλε πάλιν παραδεδωκότας (acc). (Thucydides)

apḗngeile pálin paradedōkótas.

"he reported back that they had surrendered."

οὐ γὰρ ᾔδεσαν αὐτὸν τεθνηκότα (acc). (Xenophon)

ou gàr ḗidesan autòn tethnēkóta.

"for they did not know that he had died."

εἴδομεν αὐτὸν κατακείμενον παρὰ τῇ γυναικί. (Lysias)

eídomen autòn katakeímenon parà têi gunaikí.

"we saw him lying in bed with my wife."

Examples for use later

Subordinate clause verbs, such as those in a conditional clause, are also frequently changed to the corresponding tense of the optative mood, but only after a historic tense verb. Thus in the emotional future conditional below, the future indicative has been changed to a future optative tense:

ἔφη εἶναι ἄκρον ὃ εἰ μή τις προκαταλήψοιτο, ἀδύνατον ἔσεσθαι παρελθεῖν. (Xenophon)

éphē eînai ákron hò ei mḗ tis prokatalḗpsoito, adúnaton ésesthai pareltheîn.

"he said that there was a hill-top which, unless someone captured it beforehand, was going to be impossible to get past."

Occasionally, however, a present indicative in a subordinate clause is turned into an imperfect indicative, instead of an optative mood:

ἔλεγον οὐ καλῶς τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐλευθεροῦν αὐτόν, εἰ ἄνδρας διέφθειρεν. (Thucydides)

élegon ou kalôs tḕn Helláda eleutheroûn autón, ei ándras diéphtheiren.

"they said that he was not freeing Greece in the right way, if he was putting men to death."

In the following example, a vivid future condition in direct speech, the aorist subjunctives καταπράξω (katapráxō) "I may accomplish" and καταγάγω (katagágō) "I may bring back" have both been changed into the aorist optative. At the same time, ἐάν (eán) "if" and πρὶν ἄν (prìn án) "before" have been changed into εἰ (ei) and πρίν (prín), with omission of ἄν (án). The second verb, which would have been στρατεὐομαι (strateúomai) "I am campaigning" in the original speech, has been changed from present indicative to imperfect indicative, as in the previous example:

ὑποσχόμενος αὐτοῖς, εἰ καλῶς καταπράξειεν ἐφʼ ἃ ἐστρατεύετο, μὴ πρόσθεν παύσεσθαι πρὶν αὐτοὺς καταγάγοι οἴκαδε. (Xenophon)

huposkhómenos autoîs, ei kalôs katapráxeien ephʼ hà estrateúeto, mḕ prósthen paúsesthai prìn autoùs katagágoi oíkade.

"promising them that if he accomplished what he was campaigning for, he would not stop until he brought them back home."

When an unreal condition is turned into indirect speech by changing the main verb into an infinitive, as happens when the introductory verb is οἶμαι (oîmai) "I think", the particle ἄν (án) is retained. In the following example, the aorist indicative ἐπίστευσαν ἄν (epísteusan án) "they would have believed" has been changed to the aorist infinitive ἄν πιστεῦσαι (án pisteûsai). The conditional clause here is expressed by a participle in the genitive absolute construction, and the particle ἄν (án) is attracted to follow the participle:

Indirect commands

ἐγὼ τὴν γυναῖκα ἀπιέναι ἐκέλευον καὶ δοῦναι τῷ παιδίῳ τὸν τιτθόν.

ἐκέλευον αὐτὴν ἀπιέναι.

ἐλθὼν δὲ οἴκαδε ἐκέλευον ἀκολουθεῖν μοι τὴν θεράπαιναν εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν.

Πείσων δὲ προσελθὼν σιγᾶν μοι παρεκελεύετο καὶ θαρρεῖν, ὡς ἥξων ἐκεῖσε.

Indirect questions

An indirect question is often introduced by εἰ (ei) "if", even though the original question does not contain a conditional clause. In the following example, the 2nd person present indicative βούλει; (boúlei?) "are you willing?" has been changed to the 3rd person present optative. The aorist participle λαβών (labṓn) "having received" possibly stands for a vivid future ("if you receive") or less vivid future protasis ("if you were to receive"):

ἐγὼ δὲ Πείσωνα μὲν ἠρώτων εἰ βούλοιτό με σῶσαι χρήματα λαβών. (Lysias)

egṑ dè Peísōna mèn ērṓtōn ei boúloitó me sôsai khrḗmata labṓn.

"I asked Pison if he was willing to save me if he received (after receiving) some money."

An optative mood does not change in indirect speech. The presence of ἄν (án) in the following sentence shows that the original question had a potential optative ("would you give?"):

ἠρώτων ἐκεῖνοι εἰ δοῖεν ἂν τούτων τὰ πιστά. (Xenophon)

ērṓtōn ekeînoi ei doîen àn toútōn tà pistá.

"those men asked if (the Greeks) would be prepared to give pledges concerning these matters."

Latin

scribit autem Eutropius, quod Constantinus in Brittania creatus imperator, patri in regnum successerit (Bede)

scientes, quod laborem magnum maior aeternae retributionis gloria sequitur

scit enim ipse, quia iusta pro salute gentis nostrae bella suscepimus

Audiuimus autem, et fama est creberrima, quia fuerit in gente uestra rex mirandae sanctitatis, uocabulo Osuald

‘Scio,’ inquit, ‘quia non multo tempore uicturus est rex

scito, quia, quae postulasti, accipies

See also

• Latin indirect speech