User:Robbiemuffin/The tenses/The Absolute tenses
the Past edit
Any time, and all time, before now.
|
the Present edit
Now, and habitually or repetitively or by necessity of state, religion or fact.
Note that this is distinguished (not only from english in the formal sense but) from the everyday english sense where the near-future is now (and even farther from the spanish version where now is basically indeterminate). |
the Future edit
Strictly after the current moment.
|
NonPast edit
From now on. The opposite of the past. In english, past tense typically have verbs conjugated like "swore" or "travelled". The other tense is this tense: "swear" or "travel".
Language with a NonPast (by inflection) English |
NonFuture edit
At or before now. The opposite of the future.
Note this is a fairly rare tense, linguists had hypothesized languages might have this tense but they had to actually discover examples. |
Not-Yet edit
The not-yet tense expresses when something has not happened in present or past (nonfuture), but often with the implication that it is expected to happen in the future. (As such, is both a tense and a modality). In English, it is expressed with "not yet", hence its name..
Language with a Not-Yet (by inflection) Luganda |
Still edit
Indicates a situation held to be the case, at or immediately before the utterance.
Language with a Still (by inflection) Luganda |