What is referred to as "simple present tense" in English, isn't really present tense at all. See my July 15 blog about tense and aspect in Spanish. Linguists refer to tense as when some event or action happens in time (past, present, future, for example), and aspect as how the event or action happens (habitually, repetitively, continuously, intermittently, etc.) So the the verb in the following sentences is referred to as "simple present tense."
John eats hamburgers.
Sarah plays soccer.
The verb in neither of these sentences refers to the present time, that is, right now, at this moment. Instead, they mean that John usually or routinely eats hamburgers, and Sarah usually plays soccer. So what is called "present simple tense" in English does not refer to the present moment in time, but rather to habitual or routine aspect. The reference to tense, or time, is not specific.
When we want to refer to the present moment in time in English, we use what is called the "present continuous tense," which also includes the aspect that the event or action is continuous, as in the following examples;
John is eating a hamburger right now.
Sarah is playing soccer right now.
In English, as in other areas, things are not as simple as they might first appear.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
How many tenses often to use in English ?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post today because it helped me remember how similar spanish and english tenses can be. I often find myself frustrated with how many tenses spanish has completely forgetting that english is just as complicated.
ReplyDeleteThe more I learn about Spanish, the more I understand about English. Sure glad I learned English as a first language and don't have to struggle with learning THAT MESS now.
ReplyDeleteRebekah and Beth,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. Sometimes it is good to think about how complicated English is if we start thinking that Spanish is too difficult and complicated. You're right!
Jeff
Serena,
ReplyDeleteMany. I don't know the exact number of different tenses we use in English...:)
Jeff
I agree with Beth, but in another sense. The more I learn Spanish the more I understand how much hard it must be for foreign students to learn English.
ReplyDeleteJoe,
ReplyDeleteYes, when we learn a foreign language, we learn how hard our native language can be to learn, AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. Good observation.
Jeff
I have to agree with Beth and Rebekah on this subject matter of the present tense in English. I think English must be one of the most complicated languages to learn because of the tenses. Comparing the Spanish tenses to these makes me sure of this.
ReplyDelete