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“TENSE” = “TIME” AND THE SPANISH VERB SYSTEM 

Talking Points: 

1. Tense = Time

2. Only two (2) moments in time actually exist through experiences:  the present (going on now), and the past (already completed).  The future is merely an anticipation of an act.  It may not come to pass.  Present events are being experienced, past events can be recalled or remembered, and future events may be anticipated from point present.

3. As a result, there exist only two times:  the present and the past.  If tense = time, then there are only two tenses in language and all other actions, whether they be old, new, or make believe, are oriented to those two tenses.

4. VERB FORMS have been developed, or have evolved, to describe all of these events.  These are not tenses in themselves, rather tense FORMS OR STRUCTURES.  Each verb form can be inflected or changed.

5. At the present moment of speaking, events can:  (1)  be remembered, (2) come to a completion before we speak, (3) actually be going on, (4) be anticipated, or (5) come to a completion before an anticipated moment in the future.

1. comimos, comíamos, comiéramos
2. hemos comido, hayamos comido
3. comemos, comamos
4. comeremos, comamos
5. habremos comido, hayamos comido

These verb forms above are listed with corresponding indicative-subjunctive counterparts, and all of these are oriented to the present moment of speaking (the present “tense”).

6. Four (4) of the above listed verb forms, then, have corresponding verb forms used for recalling purposes.  At a recalled or past point in time, an event (1)  cannot be further recalled, therefore no form exists there, (2) came to a completion before the moment of speaking, (3) was actually going on, (4) was anticipated, (5) came to a completion before an anticipated moment in the past.

1. no form
2. habíamos comido, hubimos comido, hubiéramos comido
3. comimos, comíamos, comiéramos
4. comeríamos
5. habríamos comido

7. Each of the 5 event aspects explained above have “progressive” verb forms which can be used to further limit the time frame being described.

PRESENT TENSE (point of view) 

1. estábamos comiendo, estuvimos comiendo, estuviéramos comiendo
2. hemos estado comiendo, hayamos estado comiendo
3. estamos comiendo
4. estaremos comiendo, estemos comiendo
5. habremos estado comiendo, hayamos estado comiendo

PAST TENSE (point of view) 

1. no form
2. hubimos estado comiendo, habíamos estado comiendo, hubiéramos estado comiendo
3. estuvimos comiendo, estábamos comiendo, estuviéramos comiendo
4. estaríamos comiendo
5. habríamos estado comiendo

8. Verb forms made to give commands, along with the verb forms for the indicative and for the subjunctive comprise the 3 verbal modes or “moods” in Spanish:  the indicative, the imperative, and the subjunctive.

9. Combining the verb forms of all 3 verbal modes, there will be a total of 29 verb forms used in Spanish:

10. Each of the 29 Spanish verb forms, then, will (a) be oriented to either the present tense or the past tense, (b) have a corresponding grammatical name, and (c) fit into one of the three modes or moods.

THE SPANISH VERB SYSTEM:  29 VERB FORMS 

11. The grammatical name “perfect” refers to the terminative (completed) aspect, and the name “progressive” refers to the imperfect (incomplete) aspect of the verb form.  The word “simple” refers to the fact that the verb form is not a compound form. 

12. Spanish verb forms are not necessarily connected to the notions of calendar time.

Examples:  Lo comemos hoy.

                     Lo comimos hoy.

                     Lo comeremos hoy. 

We recommend the following reading: 

Spanish for Teachers:  Applied Linguistics by Wm. Bull