481 The circumstances to which the statement (or question) of the optative applies may not need mention, or may be suggested by an expression of time, place, manner, or may be more fully expressed by a participle, infinitive, or subordinate clause. Relative clauses and εἰ clauses (614 ff., 615 ff.) are often used for this purpose. This applies also to the hypothetical indicative (461, 467).

Thus in ἔνθα πολλὴν σωφροσύνην καταμάθοι ἄν τις (under 479) ἔνθα (with the context) means at court. The interrogatives πῶς, ποῦ, τίς ask what the circumstances are. τότε then and δικαίως justly have a similar office. In θαυμάζοιμʼ ἂν εἰ οσθα I should be surprised if yοu knοw (PR. 312 c), εἰ οσθα describes the supposed case. In δύναιʼ ἂν εἰ βούλοιο you could, should you so will (E. B. 947), εἰ βούλοιο describes the supposed case. In τότε δʼ αὐτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἂν ἐκρνετο ἐφʼ αὑτοῦ (461 c), τότε sums up in a word the preceding description of the imagined circumstances.