View source for Tense

'''Tense''' is a category used in the grammatical description of verbs (along with [[aspect]] and [[mood]]), referring primarily to the way the grammar marks the time at which the action denoted by the verb took place. It can be broadly classified as:
*'''absolute tense''': indicates time in relationship to the time of the utterance (i.e. "now"). 
*'''relative tense''': in relationship to some other time, other than the time of utterance.


== Natural language == 
In the UNLarium framework, the attribute tense is represented by the following hierarchy, where lower levels subsume upper levels:

{{#tree:id=nl_tense|openlevels=0|root=Tense (TNS)|
*absolute tense
**present (PRS): in the present
**past (PAS): in the past
***hesternal past tense (HEP): before yesterday
***prehesternal past tense (PEP): before hesternal tense
***hodiernal past tense (HOP): before today
***prehodiernal past tense (POP): before hodiernal tense
***immediate past tense (IPT): very recent past
***nonrecent past tense (NRCP): before recent past
***recent past tense (RCP): recent past
***nonremote past tense (NRMP): after remote past
***remote past tense (RMP): remote past
**future (FUT): in the future
***near future (FUN): in the near future
***remote future (FUR): not in the near future
**nonpast (NPAS): not in the past
**nonfuture (NFUT): not in the future
**still (STL): immediately before the utterance
**not-yet (NYET): expected to occur in the future
*relative tense
**relative past (RPT): before an absolute tense
**relative nonpast (NRPT): not before an absolute tense
**relative present (RPS): at the absolute tense
**relative future (RFT): after an absolute tense
**relative nonfuture (NRFT): not after an absolute tense
}}

;General tenses
:General tenses, such as simple past or simple future in English, are indicated by the uppermost level of the corresponding branch.
::English
:::simple past = PAS
:::simple future = FUT
;Relative and absolute-relative tenses are indicated by combining absolute and relative tags through "&":
:English: 
::past perfect (= past of the past): PAS&RPT
::future perfect (= past of the future): FUT&RPT
:French:
::passé antérieur (= past of the past):  PAS&RPT
::future antérieur (= past of the future): FUT&RPT
;Tense, mood and aspect
:Tense, mood and aspect can be conjoined with "&":
::aorist: PAS&PFV
::imperfect (past imperfect): PAS&NPFV
::present perfect: PRS&PFC
;Simple and compound tenses
:The difference between simple and compound forms must be informed only if they represent different alternatives for the same tense. Compounds are indicated through the attribute "CPW":
::French
:::passé simple: PAS
:::passé composé: PAS&CPW



== UNL ==
In UNL, tense is to be represented by [[time|time attributes]].

== Examples ==
List of grammatical tenses:
*[[English grammar#Verb forms|English tenses]]
*[[French grammar#Verb forms|French tenses]]