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17. WHAT IS MEANT BY TENSE?
The tense of a verb indicates the time when the action of the verb takes place (at the present time, in the past, or in the future). I am studying I studied I will study present past future As you can see in the above examples, just by putting the verb in a different tense and without giving any additional information (such as “I am studying now,” “I studied yesterday,” “I will study tomorrow”), you can indicate when the action of the verb takes place.
Tenses may be classified according to the way they are formed. A simple tense consists of only one verb form (I studied), while a com- pound tense consists of two or more verb forms (Jam studying).
IN ENGLISH Listed below are the main tenses whose equivalents you will encounter in Spanish. Present I study I am studying Past I studied I have studied I was studying I had studied Future I will study I will have siudied Conditionalt I would study I would have studied present present progressive
simple past present perfect past progressive past perfect
future future perfect
conditional conditional perfect
As you can see, there are only two simple tenses (present and simple past). All of the other tenses are compound tenses formed by one or more auxiliary verbs plus the main verb (see What are Auxiliary Verbs?, p. 23).
tThe conditional tenses have been included because they have parallels in English. The subjunctive tenses have been omitted because they have no parallels in English.
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encounter in Spanish. Present estudio
estoy estudiando
Past estudié estudiaba
estaba estudiando he estudiado habia estudiado Future estudiaré habré estudiado Conditional estudiaria habria estudiado I study, I am studying I do study I am studying
I studied 1 used to study, I was studying I was studying I have studied I had studied
I will study I will have studied
I would study 1 would have studied present
present progressive
preterite imperfect
past progressive present perfect past perfect
future future perfect
conditional conditional perfect As you can see, there are more simple tenses than in English: present, preterite, imperfect, future, and conditional. The compound tenses in Spanish are formed with the auxiliary verbs estar (to be) or haber (to have) + the main verb.
This handbook discusses the various tenses and their usage in separate sections: What is the Present Tense?, p. 60; What is the Past Tense?, p. 62; What is the Future Tense?, p. 86; What is the Condi- tional?, p. 89; What are the Progressive Tenses?, p. 70; What are the Perfect Tenses?, p. 82. |
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