tense

(noun)

Any of the forms of a verb that distinguish when an action or state of being occurs or exists. The three simple tenses are past, present, and future.

Related Terms

(noun)

A quality of verbs which indicates whether the verb occurred in the past, present, or future.

Related Terms

Examples of tense in the following topics:

  • Tenses

  • Conjugating regular verbs in present tense

  • How to conjugate in the present tense

    • To conjugate a regular German verb in the present tense, eliminate the -en from the infinitive.  
    • Click on the link for a quick video explanation of conjugating regular verbs in the present tense.

  • Verb Tense: Past, Present, and Future

    • And without verb tenses, we couldn't talk about when we did those things.
    • We need verb tenses to talk about time.
    • The verbs is, paint, and hears are in the simple present tense.
    • The future tense is different from the present and past tenses in that there is not usually a type of verb conjugation that shows the future tense.
    • The table shows how to correctly format verbs in a given tense.

  • Introduction to Verbs: Tense, Aspect, and Mood

    • Tense indicates when the action expressed by a verb takes place.
    • The three simple tenses are past, present, and future.
    • There is no single formula for how to change verb tenses.
    • All verbs have both tense and aspect.
    • Mood can be expressed in any verb tense. 

  • How to conjugate in the present tense

    • Learn how to conjugate regular German verbs in the present tense.

  • Verbal Aspect: Simple, Progressive, Perfect, and Perfect Progressive

    • Since all verbs have both tense and aspect, all combinations of tenses and aspects, such as past progressive and future perfect, are possible.
    • In the past progressive tense, the main verb is paired with the past tense of the verb "to be" (was/were) to show that the action occurred continually in the past.
    • Use "had" paired with the main verb in simple past tense.
    • Use "has" or "have" paired with the main verb in simple past tense.
    • Use "will have" paired with the main verb in simple past tense.

  • Passage 1.3

  • Verb Mood: Indicative, Subjunctive, and Imperative

    • You can change tense and aspect of a verb by changing something about the verb itself: For example, to make the verb "enjoy" past tense, you add -ed to the end.
    • In English, the conditional mood is usually of the form "would" + bare verb with no tense or aspect markers.

  • Common Spelling Errors