The present tense

Trevor & Julie Peterson 06peterson at cua.edu
Tue Apr 30 05:45:26 EDT 2002


Waldo wrote:
>
> Sometimes I read that the present tense means
> "continuous action." Other times "continuous action"
> seems absent from the verbal idea.
>
> How does one tell when the idea is "continuous action"
> and when it is not? And when it is not, what kind of
> action is it?

Part of your confusion may come from the imprecise descriptions that appear
in some grammars. I find it helpful to illustrate the issue with an English
comparison. If I say, "He ran from Baltimore to Washington. While he was
running, . . . " I've made a distinction in how I choose to portray the
action, but the action being described is the same in both constructions.
What grammars describe as verbal aspect is a matter of portrayal or point of
view, not the nature of the action itself. Where the English comparisons can
break down is in the way that we use these corresponding forms. It may be a
simple strategy to teach students to distinguish between different Greek
aspects (for instance, distinguishing between the imperfect and aorist
tenses, which are both past time but have different aspects) by using the
English participle for one and the simple past for the other. But often the
forms we choose in normal English are governed by more pragmatic
considerations. Whether I say, "He runs," or "He is running," has nothing to
do with the kind of action involved. If I say, "He runs," I mean something
like, "He runs every day," or, "He runs when other people walk." If I say,
"He is running," I mean something like, "He is running right now," or, "He
is running this afternoon." Since Greek can use its one present tense form
to fulfill these various functions, the way we translate in English is a
question of English usage, not Greek. None of it has anything to do with the
nature of the action.

Trevor Peterson
CUA/Semitics




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