ἄν

See also: αν, αν-, -αν-, άν-, ἀν’, ἀν-, and Appendix:Variations of "an"

Ancient Greek

Etymology 1

Uncertain; has been connected to similar particles in other Indo-European languages, especially Latin an and Gothic 𐌰𐌽 (an), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en.

Beekes derives it instead from οὐκ ᾰ̓́ν (ouk ắn) as a rebracketing of οὐ κᾰν (ou kăn), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu -kn̥ (literally “long time begin”), whence also synonymous Ionic κε (ke), κεν (ken).

Alternative forms

κε (ke), κεν (ken) — Epic, Ionic
κᾰ (kă) — Doric

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /án/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈan/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈan/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈan/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈan/

Particle

ᾰ̓́ν • (ắn) (modal particle) (Attic)

Expresses potentiality or conditionality
1. (Epic, with subjunctive in main clauses) in that case and future tense
  - c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.184–184:
    ἐγὼ δέ κ’ ἄγω Βρισηΐδα καλλιπάρῃον
    αὐτὸς ἰὼν κλισίηνδε τὸ σὸν γέρας ὄφρ’ ἐῢ εἰδῇς
    ὅσσον φέρτερός εἰμι σέθεν […]
    egṑ dé k’ ágō Brisēḯda kallipárēion
    autòs iṑn klisíēnde tò sòn géras óphr’ eǜ eidēîs
    hósson phérterós eimi séthen […]
    [Agamemnon speaking to Achilles]: But in that case I myself will lead away your prize, fair-cheeked Briseis, and go to my tent, so that you may learn well how much greater I am than you.
2. (with optative) Expresses future potentiality: would or could do or be doing
3. (with imperfect indicative) Expresses present or rarely past potentiality: were doing, would be doing
4. (with aorist indicative) Expresses past potentiality
  - 341 BCE, Demosthenes, Third Philippic 68:
    καὶ μὴν ἐκεῖνό γ’ αἰσχρόν, ὕστερόν ποτ’ εἰπεῖν “τίς γὰρ ἂν ᾠήθη ταῦτα γενέσθαι; νὴ τὸν Δί’, ἔδει γὰρ τὸ καὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι καὶ τὸ μὴ ποιῆσαι.”
    kaì mḕn ekeînó g’ aiskhrón, hústerón pot’ eipeîn “tís gàr àn ōiḗthē taûta genésthai? nḕ tòn Dí’, édei gàr tò kaì tò poiêsai kaì tò mḕ poiêsai.”
    And definitely it is a shame to have to say after the fact “Who on earth could have imagined this would happen? By Zeus, of course [we] should have done this and that, and not done this and that.”
(with past indicative) Expresses unreality
1. (with aorist) Past or rarely present unreality: would have done, would do
2. (with imperfect) Present or past unreality: would do, would be doing; would have been doing
3. (with pluperfect) Present or less commonly past unreality:
(with past indicative) Expresses iteration or habituality: had done, had been doing; would have done, would have been doing; used to do
- 400 BCE – 387 BCE, Plato, Apology 22b:
  ἀναλαμβάνων οὖν αὐτῶν τὰ ποιήματα ἅ μοι ἐδόκει μάλιστα πεπραγματεῦσθαι αὐτοῖς, διηρώτων ἂν αὐτοὺς τί λέγοιεν, ἵν’ ἅμα τι καὶ μανθάνοιμι παρ’ αὐτῶν.
  analambánōn oûn autôn tà poiḗmata há moi edókei málista pepragmateûsthai autoîs, diērṓtōn àn autoùs tí légoien, hín’ háma ti kaì manthánoimi par’ autôn.
  Taking up [the poets’] works that seemed to me to have taken them the most trouble [to write], I would question them on what they meant, so that I could at the same time learn something from them.
1. (with Ionic past iterative)
  - 460 BCE – 430 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 4.130:
    οἱ δὲ ἂν Πέρσαι ἐπελθόντες λάβεσκον τὰ πρόβατα καὶ λαβόντες ἐπηείροντο ἂν τῷ πεποιημένῳ.
    hoi dè àn Pérsai epelthóntes lábeskon tà próbata kaì labóntes epēeíronto àn tōî pepoiēménōi.
    The Persians used to attack and seize the cattle and take them and, after taking them, to be encouraged by this achievement.
(with subjunctive in subordinate clauses) Expresses generality, and often translatable with present or future tense in English
1. With εἰ (ei), contracted to ἐάν (eán), expresses a general condition that is likely to occur
  - c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 2.364:
    εἰ δέ κεν ὣς ἕρξῃς καί τοι πείθωνται Ἀχαιοί
    ei dé ken hṑs hérxēis kaí toi peíthōntai Akhaioí
    if thus you will do and the Achaeans obey you
  - 438 BCE, Euripides, Alcestis 671:
    ἢν δ’ ἐγγὺς ἔλθῃ θάνατος, οὐδεὶς βούλεται θνῄσκειν
    ḕn d’ engùs élthēi thánatos, oudeìs boúletai thnēískein
    if death ever come near, no one wishes to die
When combined with infinitive or participle in indirect speech, represents a finite verb with ἄν (án) in direct speech

Derived terms

ᾱ̔́ν (hā́n)
ᾱ̓́ν (ā́n)
ἐᾱ́ν (eā́n)
εἰ ᾰ̓́ν (ei ắn)
εἰ μή τῐ ᾰ̓́ν (ei mḗ tĭ ắn)
εἰᾰ́ν (eiắn)
εἰκ ᾰ̓́ν (eik ắn)
εἰκᾰ́ν (eikắn)
ἐπᾱ́ν (epā́n)
ἐπειδᾱ́ν (epeidā́n)
ἐπειδὴ ᾰ̓́ν (epeidḕ ắn)
ἐπήν (epḗn)
ἕως ᾰ̓́ν (héōs ắn)
ἤν (ḗn)
κᾰθ’ ὅ τῐ ᾰ̓́ν (kăth’ hó tĭ ắn)
κᾰθότῐ ᾰ̓́ν (kăthótĭ ắn)
καὶ ᾰ̔̀ ᾰ̓́ν (kaì hằ ắn)
καὶ ᾰ̓́ν (kaì ắn)
καὶ ᾱ̔́ν (kaì hā́n)
καὶ ᾰ̓̀ν εἰ (kaì ằn ei)
κᾱ̓́ν (kā́n)
κᾱ̓̀ν εἰ (kā̀n ei)
κἤν (kḗn)
μέχρῐ ᾰ̓́ν (mékhrĭ ắn)
ὁπότ’ ᾰ̓́ν (hopót’ ắn)
ὁπότᾰν (hopótăn)
ὅπου ᾰ̓́ν (hópou ắn)
ὅπως ᾰ̓́ν (hópōs ắn)
ὃς ᾰ̓́ν (hòs ắn)
ὅσᾰν (hósăn)
ὅτ’ ᾰ̓́ν (hót’ ắn)
ὅτᾰν (hótăn)
ὅτε ᾰ̓́ν (hóte ắn)
οὐδ’ ᾰ̓́ν (oud’ ắn)
οὐκ ᾰ̓́ν (ouk ắn)
πρῐ̀ν ᾰ̓́ν (prĭ̀n ắn)
πῶς γᾰ̀ρ ᾰ̓́ν (pôs gằr ắn)
πῶς οὐκ ᾰ̓́ν (pôs ouk ắn)
τᾰ́χ’ ᾰ̓́ν (tắkh’ ắn)
χᾱ̓́ν (khā́n)
ὡς ᾰ̓́ν (hōs ắn)
ὡς ᾰ̓̀ν εἰ (hōs ằn ei)
ὡς κᾱ̓̀ν εἰ (hōs kā̀n ei)
ὡσᾰ́ν (hōsắn)
ὡσᾰνεί (hōsăneí)
ὥσπερ ᾰ̓́ν (hṓsper ắn)
ὥσπερ ᾰ̓̀ν εἰ (hṓsper ằn ei)
ὡσπερᾰ́ν (hōsperắn)
ὡσπερᾰνεί (hōsperăneí)

References

Etymology 2

Contraction of ἐᾱ́ν (eā́n), from a univerbation of εἰ (ei) +‎ ᾰ̓́ν (ắn, modal particle).

Alternative forms

ἐᾱ́ν (eā́n)
εἰᾰ́ν (eiắn) — Old Attic
ἤν (ḗn) — Epic, Ionic

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ǎːn/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈan/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈan/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈan/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈan/

Conjunction

ᾱ̓́ν • (ā́n)

if

ἄν

Ancient Greek

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Particle

Derived terms

References

Further reading

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Conjunction

Further reading