WORD CLASS: PRESENT VERB TENSES

1. The use of verb tenses in Catalan follows basically the same patterns as in the neighbouring Romance languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian), with a few exceptions. The tenses will be presented in their indicative use, making a difference between the different aspects involved, i.e., the presentation will include both tense and aspect as a whole.

2. Real present tenses

2.1. Simple present (canto) is basically a timeless tense, whose use in broad terms corresponds to its English counterpart:

– Actions and events with no time reference

us agrada passejar per la vora del riu?	do you like walking along the riverside?
els nous ordinadors són fantàstics	the new computers are really good

– Actions and events lasting for ever

els estius del meu país són tòrrids	summers in my country are really hot
la frontera s’estén cap a l’oest	the border runs westwards

– Actions and events that cannot be punctual

tinc vint anys	I am twenty years old
parlo tres llengües estrangeres	I speak three foreign languages

– Actions and events referred to next future (usually together with a time adverb)

demà arriben els meus cosins	my cousins are coming tomorrow
avui a la tarda em duen el nou frigorífic	this evening they are bringing me my new fridge

– Actions and events occurring once and again, for which they are usually accompanied by frequency adverbs (therefore a negative use is also possible)

sovint hi ha embussos quan plou	there are frequently traffic jams when it rains
en Joan mai no arriba abans de les dues	John never comes up before two o’clock

2.2. Present continuous (estic cantant) refers to punctual actions and events, like in English:

en Carles està mirant una pel·lícula	Charles is watching a film
està plovent	It’s raining

Unlike English, it does not express near future; instead, as it has been seen above, simple present is used.

3. Hypothetical Present Tense

This tense corresponds to what in traditional grammar is known as future tense. Catalan does not use periphrastic constructions to express future, unlike Spanish, Portuguese or French:

          > (FR): Je vais acheter des cadeaux pour mes neveux

          > (ES): Voy a comprar regalos para mis sobrinos

          > (PT): Vou comprar uns presentes para os meus sobrinhos

Catalan, like Italian, prefers future tense:

Aniré de vacances a Varsòvia	I’m travelling to Warsaw for holidays
Vindreu a visitar-nos a l’hivern?	Will you come to visit us next winter?

The use of anar a + infinitive expresses in Catalan movement, not future time, unlike most Romance languages:

vaig a comprar uns mitjons nous	I am going [to the shop] to buy a pair of new socks
aneu a veure roba?	are you going [somewhere] to see clothes?