460 The Imperfects χρῆν or ἐχρῆν, ἔδει, προσῆκε, εἰκὸς ἦν, and the like, state an obligation or propriety in past time. Often the context implies that the obligation was not met that something was not or is not as it should be.
Oὐδὲ θαμίζεις ἡμῖν καταβαίνων εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ· χρῆν μέντοι you don't come down to us in Piraeus at all often; yet you ought to (i. e., it was your duty to come often, and you havent been doing it ). P. R. 328 c. τί σῑγᾷς; οὐκ ἐχρῆν σῑγᾶν why silent? thοu shouldst not be silent (i. e, propriety required that you speak out, and you have not spoken ). E. HIPP. 297. ἀλλʼ ἐχρῆν τι δρᾶν you ought to have done something. AR. R. 568. ἔδει γὰρ τὸ καὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι καὶ τὸ μὴ ποιῆσαι why, yes, we should have done this and this, and not have done that. D. 9, 68. τούσδε γὰρ μὴ ζῆν ἔδει for these ought not to be alive. S. P. 418. εἰκὸς ἦν μᾶς προορᾶσθαι αὐτά the fitting thing was that yοu should foresee it (but you did not) . T. VI. 78. μένειν γὰρ ἐξῆν for it was in his power to stand his ground (he might have stood his grοund) . D. 3, 17.
- a. In these cases the obligation or propriety is thought of as existing in the past, perhaps before the act, and as real; the action or state resulting from failure to meet the obligation may be present, or may continue to the present, though beginning in the past. In some few cases where the Greek took this point of view, it seems to us as if ἄν were needed (
[461 c](file:///x:/Departments/Classics_Texts/schoolgrammarofa00goodrich_porson/HTML%20Files/Chapter-461.html)).