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English Grammar (Aspects and Tense of the verbs)

Tense and aspect are both properties of verbs, but they affect verbs and the meaning of
a sentence in different ways.

Aspect is a verb1 form (or category) that indicates time-related characteristics, such as the
completion, duration, or repetition of an action. (Syntax)

The aspect of a verb is determined by whether the action is on going or completed.

It is concerned with the unfolding2 of a situation, and in English is a matter of syntax,

The four aspects are:

 Simple Aspect

(also known as the indefinite aspect - no emphasis of completed or on-going action)

 Perfect Aspect

(also known as the complete aspect - action completed)

 Progressive Aspect

(also known as the continuing aspect - action on going)

 Perfect Progressive Aspect

((perfect progressive aspect - action on going but then finished)

SIMPLE ASPECT

The simple aspect (or indefinite aspect as it's occasionally called) is the verb form used to
express a fact. Unlike other aspects (like the progressive aspect or the perfect aspect), the
simple aspect does not make it clear whether the action is a complete action or a habitual
action

The Simple Aspect Is Not Simple

A verb in the simple aspect relies on a combination of context and tense to clarify whether
the action is complete or on going. For example:

 He ate cake.
(The tense tell us this is a complete action, but it is unclear whether this was a
habitual action or not. The context doesn't make it clear.)

1
A verb is the part of speech (or word class) that describes an action or occurrence or indicates a state of
being.
2
desenrolar-se, suceder-se, evoluir
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 He ate a cake.
(This is also a complete action. This time, context suggests it wasn't a habitual
action.)

 He eats cake.
(This time, it's unclear whether this is a habitual action or just a fact.)

Examples of Verbs in the Simple Aspect

In the Past Tense

I cleaned the window. - (simple past tense)

In the Present Tense

I clean the window. - (simple present tense)

In the Future Tense

I will clean the window. (simple future tense)

PROGRESSIVE ASPECT (ing)

The progressive aspect (or continuing aspect) is the aspect of a verb that expresses an on-
going action, an temporary situation, unfinished , incomplete action.

Progressive aspect is the collective term for verbs (past, present, or future) in a progressive
tense. (This means the perfect progressive tenses too.)

In the Past Tense

 He was singing. "was" or "were" + present participle = (Past Progressive Tense)

 They had been eating. "had" + "been" + present participle = (Past Perfect
Progressive Tense)

In the Present Tense

 I am leaving. "is" or "are" + present participle progressive tense

 They have been fighting. "has" or "have" + "been" + present participle = (Present
Perfect Progressive Tense)

In the Future Tense

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 I will be flying. "will be" + present participle (Future Progressive Tense)

 She will have been singing. "will have" + "been" + present participle – (Future
Perfect Progressive Tense)

PERFECT TENSE

The perfect aspect (or complete aspect) is the aspect of a verb which expresses a completed
action. It is a consecutive and completed action, that is the action starts and finish, and
also talks about general truths.

In the Past Tense

 We had seen. "had" + past participle (Past Perfect Tense)

In the Present Tense "has" or "have" + past participle (Present Perfect Tense)
 “He smokes about 11 cigarettes every day”

In the Future Tense

 You will have finished. "will have" + past participle (Future Perfect Tense)

Perfect Progressive Aspect

Any verb (in the past, present or future) in the perfect progressive tense is said to be in the
"perfect progressive aspect". With the exception of verbs in the present perfect
progressive tense, such verbs are used to mark the end of an on-going action. In the
present, this aspect is used for verbs that began in the past and continue into the present.

Examples:

In the past: they had been dithering - (the past perfect progressive tense)
In the present: she has been taking - (the present perfect progressive tense)
In the future: I will have been driving (the future perfect progressive tense)
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Tense is the time of a verb's action or its state of being, such as present (something
happening now), past (something happened earlier), or future (something going to
happen). These are called the verb's time frame. For example, examine I walk(present),
I walked (past), and I will walk (future).

Tense is concerned with how time is encoded in the grammar of English, and is often based
on morphological form (e.g. write, writes, wrote)

Tense roughly means reference to the time at which events take place, or at which
processes or states hold.

They all indicate the verb’s position in time – whether the verb is being used to describe
something happening in the past, or in the present.

which describe the verb’s fixed position in time as either past or present

Verb Tense

The tense of a verb is determined by when the action took place. The three tenses are:

 The Past Tense

 The Present Tense
 The Future Tense
Remember, verbs do not just express actions. They can also express a state of being.
I was happy.

The Past Tenses

The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past.
 I ran to the shops.

The past progressive tense is used to describe an on-going activity in the past. Often, it is
used to set the scene for another action.
 I was running to the shops when I saw Bruno.

The past perfect tense is used to emphasize that an action was completed before another
took place.
 I had run to the shops, but they were closed.

The past perfect progressive tense is used to show that an on-going action in the past has
ended.
 I had been running to the shops, but I have now started walking.
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The Present Tenses

The simple present tense is mostly used to describe facts and habits.
 I run daily.

The present progressive tense is used for an on-going action in the present.
 I am running to your house at the moment.

The present perfect tense is used for actions began in the past. (Often, the actions continue
into the present.)
 I have run for 5 miles so far.

The present perfect progressive tense is used for a continuous activity that began in the
past and continues into the present, or a continuous activity that began in past but has now
finished (usually very recently).
 I have been running for hours.

The Future Tenses

The simple future tense is used for an action that will occur in the future.
 I will run to the shops tomorrow.

The future progressive tense is used for an on-going action that will occur in the future.
 I will be running to the shops every day after today.
The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed at
some point in the future.
 I will have run to work by 12 o'clock.

The future perfect progressive tense is used for an on-going action that will be completed
at some specified time in the future.
 I will have been running for 3 hours by 12 o'clock.