Topics
BeginnerVerb Tenses
How past, present and future are expressed in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Compare languages
Spanish conjugates verbs extensively for person, tense, and mood. English uses a mix of conjugation and auxiliaries. Chinese has no verb conjugation at all — using particles, adverbs, and context instead.
Overview
Verb tenses express when an action happens. The three languages take radically different approaches.
- Spanish: Highly inflected. A single verb can encode person, number, tense, aspect, mood, and voice through endings alone. Over 14 simple tenses plus compound forms.
- English: Moderately inflected. Uses a mix of verb endings (-ed, -s) and auxiliary verbs (will, have, be) to build tenses. About 12 tenses total.
- Chinese: Zero inflection. The verb never changes form. Time is expressed through particles (了, 过), adverbs (昨天, 现在), and context.
Spanish
Spanish verbs conjugate for person, number, tense, mood, and aspect through extensive inflection.
Three main conjugations
| Ending | Example | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ar | hablar (speak) | hablé, hablaba | hablaré |
| -er | comer (eat) | comí, comía | comeré |
| -ir | vivir (live) | viví, vivía | viviré |
Two past tenses
Spanish distinguishes preterite (completed action) from imperfect (ongoing/habitual):
Preterite (completed):
- Ayer hablé con María. (Yesterday I spoke with María. — one completed action)
- El año pasado viví en Madrid. (Last year I lived in Madrid. — completed period)
Imperfect (ongoing/habitual):
- Antes hablaba con María todos los días. (Before, I used to speak with María every day.)
- Cuando era niño, vivía en Madrid. (When I was a child, I lived in Madrid.)
Subjunctive mood
The subjunctive expresses doubt, desire, emotion, or unreality:
- Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come.)
- Es posible que llueva. (It might rain.)
- Ojalá estuviera aquí. (I wish he were here.)
Key rule: The subjunctive is triggered by specific verbs and expressions. It is not optional — Spanish uses it constantly.
English
English uses auxiliary verbs extensively to build tenses.
Simple tenses
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present | base / -s | I speak / he speaks |
| Simple past | -ed (irregular) | I spoke / I went |
| Simple future | will + base | I will speak |
Continuous tenses (be + -ing)
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present continuous | am/is/are + -ing | I am speaking |
| Past continuous | was/were + -ing | I was speaking |
| Future continuous | will be + -ing | I will be speaking |
Perfect tenses (have + past participle)
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present perfect | have/has + -ed | I have spoken |
| Past perfect | had + -ed | I had spoken |
| Future perfect | will have + -ed | I will have spoken |
The future problem
English has multiple ways to express future:
- will: spontaneous decisions (I’ll help you)
- going to: plans or predictions (It’s going to rain)
- present continuous: fixed arrangements (I’m meeting her at 3)
- present simple: scheduled events (The train leaves at 5)
Chinese
Chinese verbs never conjugate. Time is expressed through particles and context.
No conjugation at all
The verb 说 (speak) is identical in every tense:
- 我说。(I speak.)
- 我昨天说。(I spoke yesterday.)
- 我明天说。(I will speak tomorrow.)
Aspect particles
Chinese marks aspect (how an action relates to time) rather than tense:
| Particle | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 了 | completed action | 我说了。(I spoke. / I have spoken.) |
| 过 | past experience | 我说过。(I have spoken before. — experience) |
| 在 | ongoing action | 我在说。(I am speaking.) |
| 要 / 会 | future intention | 我要说。(I will speak. / I want to speak.) |
Time adverbs
Without adverbs, Chinese is ambiguous about time. Context resolves it:
- 昨天 (yesterday) → past
- 现在 (now) → present
- 明天 (tomorrow) → future
- 经常 (often) → habitual
着 for continuous state
着 indicates a continuing state or accompanying action:
- 门开着。(The door is open. — state)
- 她穿着红衣服。(She is wearing red clothes.)
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb conjugation | Extensive (person, tense, mood) | Moderate (auxiliaries + endings) | None |
| Simple tenses | 3 (present, preterite, imperfect) + future | 3 (present, past, future) | None (context) |
| Compound tenses | Yes (perfect, continuous, subjunctive) | Yes (perfect, continuous) | Particle-based |
| Past distinction | Preterite vs imperfect | One simple past | 了 vs 过 |
| Future forms | 1 conjugated future | 4+ forms (will, going to, -ing, present) | 要 / 会 / time adverb |
| Subjunctive | Extensive and mandatory | Very rare (were, that he speak) | None (context) |
| Continuous aspect | estar + -ndo | be + -ing | 在 / 着 |
Examples
In Context
| Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Ayer hablé con ella. (preterite — completed) | I spoke with her yesterday. | 我昨天跟她说了。 |
| Antes hablaba con ella todos los días. (imperfect — habitual) | I used to speak with her every day. | 以前我每天都跟她说话。 |
| Ahora mismo estoy hablando. | I am speaking right now. | 我现在正在说话。 |
| Mañana hablaré con ella. | I am going to speak with her tomorrow. / I will speak with her tomorrow. | 我明天要跟她说。 |
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Using preterite for everything: Antes viví en Madrid → Antes vivía en Madrid (imperfect for habitual past)
-
Spanish/Chinese speakers learning English: Omitting ‘be’ in continuous: I speaking → I am speaking
-
English/Spanish speakers learning Chinese: Adding fake endings: 我说了们 → 我说了 (Chinese verbs never conjugate)
-
Spanish speakers learning English: Using ‘will’ for all future: I will meet her (plan) → I am going to meet her or I am meeting her
Related topics
- Word Order: How tense particles fit into Chinese sentence structure
- Pronouns: How subject dropping interacts with tense expression
- Questions: How tense appears in question formation
- Articles: How definiteness relates to aspect and completed actions
Examples
Simple present
hablo / hablas / habla
Simple past
hablé / hablaste / habló
Simple future
hablaré / hablarás / hablará
Present continuous
estoy hablando
Present perfect
he hablado
Past continuous
estaba hablando
Conditional
hablaría
Subjunctive
que hable / hable
Examples
Simple present
I speak / he speaks
Simple past
I spoke / he spoke
Simple future
I will speak
Present continuous
I am speaking
Present perfect
I have spoken
Past continuous
I was speaking
Conditional
I would speak
Subjunctive
(that) I speak (rare)
Examples
Simple present
我说 (context)
Simple past
我说了 (particle)
Simple future
我要说 (will)
Present continuous
我正在说
Present perfect
我说过 (experience)
Past continuous
我那时候在说
Conditional
我会说 (ability/would)
Subjunctive
None (context handles it)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple present | hablo / hablas / habla | I speak / he speaks | 我说 (context) |
| Simple past | hablé / hablaste / habló | I spoke / he spoke | 我说了 (particle) |
| Simple future | hablaré / hablarás / hablará | I will speak | 我要说 (will) |
| Present continuous | estoy hablando | I am speaking | 我正在说 |
| Present perfect | he hablado | I have spoken | 我说过 (experience) |
| Past continuous | estaba hablando | I was speaking | 我那时候在说 |
| Conditional | hablaría | I would speak | 我会说 (ability/would) |
| Subjunctive | que hable / hable | (that) I speak (rare) | None (context handles it) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple present | hablo / hablas / habla | I speak / he speaks | 我说 (context) |
| Simple past | hablé / hablaste / habló | I spoke / he spoke | 我说了 (particle) |
| Simple future | hablaré / hablarás / hablará | I will speak | 我要说 (will) |
| Present continuous | estoy hablando | I am speaking | 我正在说 |
| Present perfect | he hablado | I have spoken | 我说过 (experience) |
| Past continuous | estaba hablando | I was speaking | 我那时候在说 |
| Conditional | hablaría | I would speak | 我会说 (ability/would) |
| Subjunctive | que hable / hable | (that) I speak (rare) | None (context handles it) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
Simple present
Spanish
hablo / hablas / habla
English
I speak / he speaks
Chinese
我说 (context)
Simple past
Spanish
hablé / hablaste / habló
English
I spoke / he spoke
Chinese
我说了 (particle)
Simple future
Spanish
hablaré / hablarás / hablará
English
I will speak
Chinese
我要说 (will)
Present continuous
Spanish
estoy hablando
English
I am speaking
Chinese
我正在说
Present perfect
Spanish
he hablado
English
I have spoken
Chinese
我说过 (experience)
Past continuous
Spanish
estaba hablando
English
I was speaking
Chinese
我那时候在说
Conditional
Spanish
hablaría
English
I would speak
Chinese
我会说 (ability/would)
Subjunctive
Spanish
que hable / hable
English
(that) I speak (rare)
Chinese
None (context handles it)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Highly inflected. A single verb can encode person, number, tense, aspect, mood, and voice through endings alone. Over 14 simple tenses plus.
English: Moderately inflected. Uses a mix of verb endings (-ed, -s) and auxiliary verbs (will, have, be) to build tenses. About 12 tenses total.
Chinese: Zero inflection. The verb never changes form. Time is expressed through particles (了, 过), adverbs (昨天, 现在), and context.
Key concepts compared: Simple present, Simple past, Simple future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Spanish have more than 14 tenses while Chinese gets by with none?
What happens when a Chinese speaker tries to learn Spanish verb conjugation?
When should an English speaker use 'going to' instead of 'will'?
References
- Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
- The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
- A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981
Last updated: June 4, 2026