Tense

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=82 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="0a4fd521erlcgo.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Dena' ina Language Guide</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dena ina Language Guide"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Region"><U>Region</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Introduction"><U>Introduction</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Syntax and Verb Morphology "><U>Syntax and Verb Morphology </U></A>   |   <B>Tense</B>   |   <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chart Concept"><U>Chart Concept</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Answer"><U>Answer</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Verb Stem Dictionary"><U>Verb Stem Dictionary</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Verb Stem"><U>Verb Stem</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stem Aspect"><U>Stem Aspect</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Prefix Positions"><U>Prefix Positions</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Imperfect/Perfect/Future/Progressive"><U>Imperfect/Perfect/Future/Progressive</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0a3d2993.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=398 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Tense</I></div> <div> <B>Modes </B></div> <div> Part of the key to understanding the Dena'ina verb is understanding the concept of mode. </div> <div> Mode is roughly analogous to the English concept of tense.  There are three modes in Dena'ina:</div> <bR> <div> <B>Imperfect:</B>       In imperfect mode or the imperfective the action is incomplete. </div> <div> Usually the imperfective is translated into English as present tense. </div> <div> Technically, one would not say in Dena'ina "I walk." One would say "I am walking."</div> <div>  </div> <div> <B>Perfect:</B>      action complete. Perfect or perfective mode is usually translated into </div> <div> English as past tense, as in 'I walked.' </div> <bR> <div> <B>Future/progressive</B>The future or progressive mode is the same as the future tense in </div> <div>           English.</div> <bR> <div> The morphemes for mode are bound morphemes and are found in two places: </div> <div> the verb stem where variations of the stem indicate mode (imperfect, perfect OR future/progressive), </div> <div> and in  prefix position 4 (see below).  Thus they are redundant.   </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>