Chapter 14 Verbs and time
Combining tense and aspect
Tense precedes aspect in the fixed Slot 1 order. One particle locates the event; the next chooses its view.
The combinations
| Combination | Gloss | Ordinary English |
|---|---|---|
to si | PST IPFV | was doing |
to ki | PST PFV | had done |
to pa | PST INCH | began doing |
to te | PST CESS | stopped doing |
to ro | PST HAB | did habitually then |
so si | FUT IPFV | will be doing |
so ki | FUT PFV | will have done |
so pa | FUT INCH | will begin doing |
so te | FUT CESS | will stop doing |
so ro | FUT HAB | will do habitually |
Four examples
mia to si theo. — I was reading.
At a past reference point, the reading was in progress.
mia peloru to ki nila. — I had seen the flower.
The seeing is complete at the past reference time. to ki never means the present perfect "have seen."
thia so pa theo. — You will begin to read.
The beginning lies in the future.
mia to ro meliho. — I sang habitually then.
The pattern belongs to a past span. The grammar does not say whether it continues now; a following clause can settle that.
Unmarked forms
Without tense or aspect, mia theo. is a present clause with a neutral view: "I read." Ability, completion, progression, and habit require po, ki, si, or ro.
Because the aspect rank admits one particle, a clause cannot combine si with ro, or pa with ki. A singer may begin, continue, and finish in the same evening, but the account reaches those boundaries one clause at a time.