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class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-German" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#German"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1.2</span> <span>German</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-German-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Dutch" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Dutch"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1.3</span> <span>Dutch</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Dutch-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Other_groups" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Other_groups"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Other groups</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Other_groups-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Romance" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Romance"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2.1</span> <span>Romance</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Romance-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-French" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-4"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#French"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2.1.1</span> <span>French</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-French-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Spanish_and_Portuguese" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-4"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Spanish_and_Portuguese"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2.1.2</span> <span>Spanish and Portuguese</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Spanish_and_Portuguese-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-African_languages" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#African_languages"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>African languages</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-African_languages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Asian_languages" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Asian_languages"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Asian languages</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Asian_languages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-The_Americas" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_Americas"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>The Americas</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_Americas-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-New_Guinea" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#New_Guinea"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>New Guinea</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-New_Guinea-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Creole_languages" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Creole_languages"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>Creole languages</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Creole_languages-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Creole languages subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Creole_languages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Belizean_Creole" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Belizean_Creole"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.1</span> <span>Belizean Creole</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Belizean_Creole-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Singaporean_English_Creole" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Singaporean_English_Creole"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.2</span> <span>Singaporean English Creole</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Singaporean_English_Creole-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Hawaiian_Creole_English" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Hawaiian_Creole_English"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.3</span> <span>Hawaiian Creole English</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Hawaiian_Creole_English-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Haitian_Creole" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Haitian_Creole"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.4</span> <span>Haitian Creole</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Haitian_Creole-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" title="Table of Contents" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Past tense</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" 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Available in 35 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-35" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">35 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-af mw-list-item"><a href="https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verlede_tyd" title="Verlede tyd – Afrikaans" lang="af" hreflang="af" data-title="Verlede tyd" data-language-autonym="Afrikaans" data-language-local-name="Afrikaans" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Afrikaans</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%81%D8%B9%D9%84_%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B6" title="فعل ماض – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="فعل ماض" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ast mw-list-item"><a href="https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pret%C3%A9ritu" title="Pretéritu – Asturian" lang="ast" hreflang="ast" data-title="Pretéritu" data-language-autonym="Asturianu" data-language-local-name="Asturian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Asturianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-br mw-list-item"><a href="https://br.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amzer-dremenet_(yezhoniezh)" title="Amzer-dremenet (yezhoniezh) – Breton" lang="br" hreflang="br" data-title="Amzer-dremenet (yezhoniezh)" data-language-autonym="Brezhoneg" data-language-local-name="Breton" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Brezhoneg</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passat_(gram%C3%A0tica)" title="Passat (gramàtica) – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Passat (gramàtica)" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cv mw-list-item"><a href="https://cv.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D1%80%D1%82%D0%BD%C4%95_%D0%B2%C4%83%D1%85%C4%83%D1%82" title="Иртнĕ вăхăт – Chuvash" lang="cv" hreflang="cv" data-title="Иртнĕ вăхăт" data-language-autonym="Чӑвашла" data-language-local-name="Chuvash" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Чӑвашла</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minevik_(keeleteadus)" title="Minevik (keeleteadus) – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Minevik (keeleteadus)" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasado_(gram%C3%A1tica)" title="Pasado (gramática) – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Pasado (gramática)" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86_%DA%AF%D8%B0%D8%B4%D8%AA%D9%87_(%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B1_%D8%B2%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86)" title="زمان گذشته (دستور زبان) – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="زمان گذشته (دستور زبان)" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass%C3%A9_(grammaire)" title="Passé (grammaire) – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Passé (grammaire)" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-gd mw-list-item"><a href="https://gd.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%C3%A0th_caithte" title="Tràth caithte – Scottish Gaelic" lang="gd" hreflang="gd" data-title="Tràth caithte" data-language-autonym="Gàidhlig" data-language-local-name="Scottish Gaelic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Gàidhlig</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EA%B3%BC%EA%B1%B0%EC%8B%9C%EC%A0%9C" title="과거시제 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="과거시제" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hi mw-list-item"><a href="https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4_%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2" title="भूत काल – Hindi" lang="hi" hreflang="hi" data-title="भूत काल" data-language-autonym="हिन्दी" data-language-local-name="Hindi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>हिन्दी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kala_lampau" title="Kala lampau – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Kala lampau" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lt mw-list-item"><a href="https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C5%ABtasis_laikas" title="Būtasis laikas – Lithuanian" lang="lt" hreflang="lt" data-title="Būtasis laikas" data-language-autonym="Lietuvių" data-language-local-name="Lithuanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lietuvių</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BAlt_id%C5%91_(nyelv%C3%A9szet)" title="Múlt idő (nyelvészet) – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Múlt idő (nyelvészet)" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mg mw-list-item"><a href="https://mg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filazam-potoana_lasa" title="Filazam-potoana lasa – Malagasy" lang="mg" hreflang="mg" data-title="Filazam-potoana lasa" data-language-autonym="Malagasy" data-language-local-name="Malagasy" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Malagasy</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mr mw-list-item"><a href="https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B3" title="भूतकाळ – Marathi" lang="mr" hreflang="mr" data-title="भूतकाळ" data-language-autonym="मराठी" data-language-local-name="Marathi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>मराठी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verleden_tijd" title="Verleden tijd – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Verleden tijd" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-new mw-list-item"><a href="https://new.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2" title="भूतकाल – Newari" lang="new" hreflang="new" data-title="भूतकाल" data-language-autonym="नेपाल भाषा" data-language-local-name="Newari" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>नेपाल भाषा</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%81%8E%E5%8E%BB%E6%99%82%E5%88%B6" title="過去時制 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="過去時制" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pa mw-list-item"><a href="https://pa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A8%AD%E0%A9%82%E0%A8%A4_%E0%A8%95%E0%A8%BE%E0%A8%B2" title="ਭੂਤ ਕਾਲ – Punjabi" lang="pa" hreflang="pa" data-title="ਭੂਤ ਕਾਲ" data-language-autonym="ਪੰਜਾਬੀ" data-language-local-name="Punjabi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ਪੰਜਾਬੀ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czas_przesz%C5%82y" title="Czas przeszły – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Czas przeszły" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trecut_(gramatic%C4%83)" title="Trecut (gramatică) – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Trecut (gramatică)" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%B4%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%B5_%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BC%D1%8F" title="Прошедшее время – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Прошедшее время" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_tense" title="Past tense – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="Past tense" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minul%C3%BD_%C4%8Das" title="Minulý čas – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Minulý čas" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sl mw-list-item"><a href="https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preteklik" title="Preteklik – Slovenian" lang="sl" hreflang="sl" data-title="Preteklik" data-language-autonym="Slovenščina" data-language-local-name="Slovenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenščina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%9F%E0%AE%A8%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B2%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%8D" title="கடந்தகாலம் – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="கடந்தகாலம்" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tt mw-list-item"><a href="https://tt.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D2%AE%D1%82%D0%BA%D3%99%D0%BD_%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD" title="Үткән заман – Tatar" lang="tt" hreflang="tt" data-title="Үткән заман" data-language-autonym="Татарча / tatarça" data-language-local-name="Tatar" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Татарча / tatarça</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ge%C3%A7mi%C5%9F_zaman" title="Geçmiş zaman – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Geçmiş zaman" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%81" title="Минулий час – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Минулий час" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-wa mw-list-item"><a href="https://wa.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erirece" title="Erirece – Walloon" lang="wa" hreflang="wa" data-title="Erirece" data-language-autonym="Walon" data-language-local-name="Walloon" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Walon</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh-yue mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%81%8E%E5%8E%BB%E5%BC%8F" title="過去式 – Cantonese" lang="yue" hreflang="yue" data-title="過去式" data-language-autonym="粵語" data-language-local-name="Cantonese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>粵語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%BF%87%E5%8E%BB%E6%97%B6" title="过去时 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="过去时" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" 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.multiple-issues-text>.mw-collapsible-toggle,.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox .mbox-image,.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox .mbox-imageright,.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox .mbox-empty-cell,.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .hide-when-compact{display:none}</style><table class="box-Multiple_issues plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-multiple_issues compact-ambox" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/40px-Ambox_important.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/60px-Ambox_important.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/80px-Ambox_important.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="40" data-file-height="40" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span"><div class="multiple-issues-text mw-collapsible"><b>This article has multiple issues.</b> Please help <b><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Past_tense" title="Special:EditPage/Past tense">improve it</a></b> or discuss these issues on the <b><a href="/wiki/Talk:Past_tense" title="Talk:Past tense">talk page</a></b>. <small><i>(<a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove these messages</a>)</i></small> <div class="mw-collapsible-content"> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444" /><table class="box-Lead_too_short plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-lead_too_short" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6c/Wiki_letter_w.svg/40px-Wiki_letter_w.svg.png" 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The majority of this article is unsupported original research.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit">improve it</a> by <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verifying</a> the claims made and adding <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Inline_citations" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">inline citations</a>. 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Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Past+tense%22">"Past tense"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Past+tense%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Past+tense%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Past+tense%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Past+tense%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Past+tense%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">July 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.sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:none!important}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1234201967">.mw-parser-output .linguistics-body{max-width:20em}</style><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks linguistics-body"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-pretitle">Part of <a href="/wiki/Category:Linguistics" title="Category:Linguistics">a series</a> on</td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-title-with-pretitle"><a href="/wiki/Linguistics" title="Linguistics">Linguistics</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-above"> <div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Outline_of_linguistics" title="Outline of linguistics">Outline</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/History_of_linguistics" title="History of linguistics">History</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Index_of_linguistics_articles" title="Index of linguistics articles">Index</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">General linguistics</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Historical_linguistics" title="Historical linguistics">Diachronic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lexicography" title="Lexicography">Lexicography</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Morphology_(linguistics)" title="Morphology (linguistics)">Morphology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Phonology" title="Phonology">Phonology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pragmatics" title="Pragmatics">Pragmatics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Semantics" title="Semantics">Semantics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Syntax" title="Syntax">Syntax</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Syntax%E2%80%93semantics_interface" title="Syntax–semantics interface">Syntax–semantics interface</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Linguistic_typology" title="Linguistic typology">Typology</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Applied linguistics</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Language_acquisition" title="Language acquisition">Acquisition</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anthropological_linguistics" title="Anthropological linguistics">Anthropological</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Applied_linguistics" title="Applied linguistics">Applied</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Computational_linguistics" title="Computational linguistics">Computational</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Conversation_analysis" title="Conversation analysis">Conversation analysis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Corpus_linguistics" title="Corpus linguistics">Corpus linguistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Discourse_analysis" title="Discourse analysis">Discourse analysis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Determinism" title="Determinism">Determinism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Linguistic_distance" title="Linguistic distance">Distance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Language_documentation" title="Language documentation">Documentation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ethnography_of_communication" title="Ethnography of communication">Ethnography of communication</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ethnomethodology" title="Ethnomethodology">Ethnomethodology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Forensic_linguistics" title="Forensic linguistics">Forensic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_linguistics" title="History of linguistics">History of linguistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interlinguistics" title="Interlinguistics">Interlinguistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neurolinguistics" title="Neurolinguistics">Neurolinguistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Philology" title="Philology">Philology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Philosophy_of_language" title="Philosophy of language">Philosophy of language</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Phonetics" title="Phonetics">Phonetics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Psycholinguistics" title="Psycholinguistics">Psycholinguistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sociolinguistics" title="Sociolinguistics">Sociolinguistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Text_linguistics" title="Text linguistics">Text</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Translation_studies" title="Translation studies">Translating</a> and <a href="/wiki/Language_interpretation" title="Language interpretation">interpreting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Writing_system" title="Writing system">Writing systems</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Theoretical frameworks</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Formalism_(linguistics)" title="Formalism (linguistics)">Formalist</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Phrase_structure_grammar" title="Phrase structure grammar">Constituency</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dependency_grammar" title="Dependency grammar">Dependency</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Distributionalism" title="Distributionalism">Distributionalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Generative_grammar" title="Generative grammar">Generative</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Glossematics" title="Glossematics">Glossematics</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Functional_linguistics" title="Functional linguistics">Functional</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Cognitive_grammar" title="Cognitive grammar">Cognitive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Construction_grammar" title="Construction grammar">Construction grammar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Functional_discourse_grammar" title="Functional discourse grammar">Functional discourse grammar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Grammaticalization" title="Grammaticalization">Grammaticalization</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interactional_linguistics" title="Interactional linguistics">Interactional linguistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prague_linguistic_circle" title="Prague linguistic circle">Prague circle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Systemic_functional_linguistics" title="Systemic functional linguistics">Systemic functional</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Usage-based_models_of_language" title="Usage-based models of language">Usage-based</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Structural_linguistics" title="Structural linguistics">Structuralism</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Topics</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Autonomy_of_syntax" title="Autonomy of syntax">Autonomy of syntax</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Principle_of_compositionality" title="Principle of compositionality">Compositionality</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Conservative_and_innovative_language" title="Conservative and innovative language">Conservative and innovative language</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Linguistic_description" title="Linguistic description">Descriptivism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Etymology" title="Etymology">Etymology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Iconicity" title="Iconicity">Iconicity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Internationalism_(linguistics)" title="Internationalism (linguistics)">Internationalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Internet_linguistics" title="Internet linguistics">Internet linguistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/LGBTQ_linguistics" title="LGBTQ linguistics">LGBTQ linguistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Origin_of_language" title="Origin of language">Origin of language</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orismology" title="Orismology">Orismology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orthography" title="Orthography">Orthography</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Philosophy_of_linguistics" title="Philosophy of linguistics">Philosophy of linguistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Linguistic_prescription" title="Linguistic prescription">Prescriptivism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second-language_acquisition" title="Second-language acquisition">Second-language acquisition</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Theory_of_language" title="Theory of language">Theory of language</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Terminology" title="Terminology">Terminology</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-below"> <span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Symbol_portal_class.svg" class="mw-file-description" title="Portal"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e2/Symbol_portal_class.svg/20px-Symbol_portal_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e2/Symbol_portal_class.svg/40px-Symbol_portal_class.svg.png 1.5x" data-file-width="180" data-file-height="185" /></a></span> <a href="/wiki/Portal:Linguistics" title="Portal:Linguistics">Portal</a></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Linguistics" title="Template:Linguistics"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Linguistics" title="Template talk:Linguistics"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Linguistics" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Linguistics"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The <b>past tense</b> is a <a href="/wiki/Grammatical_tense" title="Grammatical tense">grammatical tense</a> whose function is to place an action or situation in the past. Examples of <a href="/wiki/Verb" title="Verb">verbs</a> in the past tense include the English verbs <i>sang</i>, <i>went</i> and <i>washed</i>. Most languages have a past tense, with some having several types in order to indicate how far back the action took place. Some languages have a compound past tense which uses auxiliary verbs as well as an imperfect tense which expresses continuous or repetitive events or actions. Some languages inflect the verb, which changes the ending to indicate the past tense, while non-inflected languages may use other words meaning, for example, "yesterday" or "last week" to indicate that something took place in the past. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Introduction">Introduction</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Introduction"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In some languages, the grammatical expression of past tense is combined with the expression of other <a href="/wiki/Grammatical_category" title="Grammatical category">categories</a> such as <a href="/wiki/Grammatical_aspect" title="Grammatical aspect">grammatical aspect</a> (see <a href="/wiki/Tense%E2%80%93aspect" class="mw-redirect" title="Tense–aspect">tense–aspect</a>). Thus a language may have several types of past tense form, their use depending on what aspectual or other additional information is to be encoded. <a href="/wiki/French_verbs" title="French verbs">French</a>, for example, has a compound past <i>(<a href="/wiki/Pass%C3%A9_compos%C3%A9" title="Passé composé">passé composé</a>)</i> for expressing completed events, and <a href="/wiki/Imperfect" title="Imperfect">imperfect</a> for continuous or repetitive events. </p><p>Some languages that grammaticalise for past tense do so by <a href="/wiki/Inflect" class="mw-redirect" title="Inflect">inflecting</a> the verb, while others do so <a href="/wiki/Periphrasis" title="Periphrasis">periphrastically</a> using <a href="/wiki/Auxiliary_verbs" class="mw-redirect" title="Auxiliary verbs">auxiliary verbs</a>, also known as "verbal operators" (and some do both, as in the example of French given above). Not all languages grammaticalise verbs for past tense – <a href="/wiki/Chinese_grammar" title="Chinese grammar">Mandarin Chinese</a>, for example, mainly uses lexical means (words like "yesterday" or "last week") to indicate that something took place in the past, although use can also be made of the <a href="/wiki/Chinese_grammar#Aspects" title="Chinese grammar">tense/aspect markers</a> <i>le</i> and <i>guo</i>. </p><p>The "past time" to which the past tense refers generally means the past relative to the moment of speaking, although in contexts where <a href="/wiki/Relative_tense" class="mw-redirect" title="Relative tense">relative tense</a> is employed (as in some instances of <a href="/wiki/Indirect_speech" title="Indirect speech">indirect speech</a>) it may mean the past relative to some other time being under discussion.<sup id="cite_ref-Comrie_tense_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Comrie_tense-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A language's past tense may also have other uses besides referring to past time; for example, in English and certain other languages, the past tense is sometimes used in referring to hypothetical situations, such as in <a href="/wiki/Condition_clause" class="mw-redirect" title="Condition clause">condition clauses</a> like <i>If you loved me ...</i>, where the past tense <i>loved</i> is used even though there may be no connection with past time. </p><p>Some languages grammatically distinguish the recent past from remote past with separate tenses. There may be more than two distinctions. </p><p>In some languages, certain past tenses can carry an implication that the result of the action in question no longer holds. For example, in the Bantu language <a href="/wiki/Chewa_language" title="Chewa language">Chichewa</a>, use of the remote past tense <i>ánáamwalíra</i> "he died" would be surprising since it would imply that the person was no longer dead.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This kind of past tense is known as <a href="/wiki/Discontinuous_past" title="Discontinuous past">discontinuous past</a>. Similarly certain imperfective past tenses (such as the English "used to") can carry an implication that the action referred to no longer takes place.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A general past tense can be indicated with the <a href="/wiki/List_of_glossing_abbreviations" title="List of glossing abbreviations">glossing abbreviation</a> <span class="smallcaps"><span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;"><b>PST</b></span></span>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Indo-European_languages">Indo-European languages</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Indo-European languages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The European continent is heavily dominated by <a href="/wiki/Indo-European_languages" title="Indo-European languages">Indo-European languages</a>, all of which have a past tense. In some cases the tense is formed <a href="/wiki/Inflection" title="Inflection">inflectionally</a> as in English <i>see/saw</i> or <i>walks/walked</i> and as in the <a href="/wiki/French_language" title="French language">French</a> <a href="/wiki/Imperfect" title="Imperfect">imperfect</a> form, and sometimes it is formed <a href="/wiki/Periphrastic" class="mw-redirect" title="Periphrastic">periphrastically</a>, as in the French <i><a href="/wiki/Pass%C3%A9_compos%C3%A9" title="Passé composé">passé composé</a></i> form. Further, all of the non-Indo-European languages in Europe, such as <a href="/wiki/Basque_language" title="Basque language">Basque</a>, <a href="/wiki/Hungarian_language" title="Hungarian language">Hungarian</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Finnish_language" title="Finnish language">Finnish</a>, also have a past tense. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Germanic_languages">Germanic languages</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Germanic languages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="English">English</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: English"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In English, the past tense (or <a href="/wiki/Preterite" title="Preterite">preterite</a>) is one of the <a href="/wiki/Inflection" title="Inflection">inflected</a> forms of a verb. The past tense of <a href="/wiki/Regular_verb" class="mw-redirect" title="Regular verb">regular verbs</a> is made by adding <i>-d</i> or <i>-ed</i> to the base form of the verb, while those of <a href="/wiki/English_irregular_verbs" title="English irregular verbs">irregular verbs</a> are formed in various ways (such as <i>see→saw</i>, <i>go→went</i>, <i>be→was/were</i>). With regular and some irregular verbs, the past tense form also serves as a <a href="/wiki/Past_participle" class="mw-redirect" title="Past participle">past participle</a>. For full details of past tense formation, see <a href="/wiki/English_verbs" title="English verbs">English verbs</a>. </p><p>Past events are often referred to using the <a href="/wiki/Present_perfect" title="Present perfect">present perfect</a> construction, as in <i>I have finished</i> (also known as <i>present in past</i>). However this is not regarded as an instance of the past tense; instead it is viewed as a combination of <a href="/wiki/Present_tense" title="Present tense">present tense</a> with perfect <a href="/wiki/Grammatical_aspect" title="Grammatical aspect">aspect</a>, specifying a present state that results from past action.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> (It can be made into a past tense form by replacing the auxiliary <i>have</i> with <i>had</i>; see below.) </p><p>Various multi-word constructions exist for combining past tense with <a href="/wiki/Progressive_aspect" class="mw-redirect" title="Progressive aspect">progressive</a> (continuous) aspect, which denotes ongoing action; with perfect aspect; and with progressive and perfect aspects together. These and other common past tense constructions are listed below:<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <ul><li>The <a href="/wiki/Simple_past" title="Simple past">simple past</a> consists of just the past tense (preterite) form of the verb (<i>he walked</i>, <i>they flew</i>, etc.), although when it is negated, emphasized or <a href="/wiki/Inversion_(grammar)" class="mw-redirect" title="Inversion (grammar)">inverted</a> it is sometimes necessary to unfuse the verb, using a <a href="/wiki/Periphrasis" title="Periphrasis">periphrastic</a> construction with <i>did</i> (as in <i>did he walk?</i> etc.) – see <a href="/wiki/Do-support" title="Do-support"><i>do</i>-support</a>. The simple past is used for describing <a href="/wiki/Perfective_aspect" title="Perfective aspect">single occurrences</a> or <a href="/wiki/Habitual_aspect" title="Habitual aspect">habitual occurrences</a> in the past, and sometimes for states existing in the past with no connection to the present (or where such connection is irrelevant), and sometimes for states and sensual perceptions existing in the past. It also describes short, one-time past actions that interrupt another action in the past (as in <i>The telephone rang when I was watching TV</i>). Additionally, it signals habitual or repeated actions in the past (as in <i>Every morning he got up and ate breakfast before he went to work</i>). It expresses an event that is understood to have happened before another past event without using the past perfect tense (as in <i>When the play finished, the audience left quickly</i>). In reported speech, it replaces the Present Simple (as in <i>She thought I needed help</i>). Finally, it is used to describe an unreal or unlikely event in the present (as in <i>If you bought the car, you couldn't afford much more</i>).</li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/Past_progressive" class="mw-redirect" title="Past progressive">past progressive</a> (past continuous) is formed using the simple past of <i>be</i> (<i>was</i> or <i>were</i>) with <a href="/wiki/Present_participle" class="mw-redirect" title="Present participle">present participle</a> (sometimes referred to as the -ing form) of the main verb: <i>He was going</i>. This form indicates that an action was ongoing at the past time under consideration, often interrupted by another past action (as in <i>I was having a shower when you called</i>). It describes an event that lasted for a certain period, emphasizing its duration and often implying it was unfinished (as in <i>They were talking in a loud voice all night, and I couldn't sleep</i>). It is used for two actions happening at the same time in the past (as in <i>John was playing football while she was doing her homework</i>). It also describes a temporary situation (as in <i>When I got home, water was running down the kitchen walls</i>). In reported speech, it replaces the present progressive, especially when referring to a near-future or long-lasting action (as in <i>She told me she was getting married</i>).</li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/Past_perfect" class="mw-redirect" title="Past perfect">past perfect</a> combines <i>had</i> (the simple past of <i>have</i>) with the <a href="/wiki/Past_participle" class="mw-redirect" title="Past participle">past participle</a> of the main verb: <i>We had shouted</i>. This denotes that an action occurred before a specified time in the past, and therefore has similar function to the <a href="/wiki/Pluperfect" title="Pluperfect">pluperfect</a> found in some languages. It appears with prepositions such as <i>after, when,</i> and <i>as soon as</i> <i>(</i>as in <i>He went to Paris as soon as he had passed his exams</i>). It follows the phrase <i>it was the first time</i> (as in <i>It was the first time I had heard her sing</i>). It expresses unfulfilled wishes and hopes (<i>I had hoped we would leave tomorrow</i>). It describes an unreal past event that was a condition for another unfulfilled event (as in <i>If you had bought a car, you couldn't have afforded a holiday abroad</i>). In reported speech, it replaces the Past Simple and Present Perfect (<i>She announced that the rain had stopped</i>).</li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/Past_perfect_progressive" class="mw-redirect" title="Past perfect progressive">past perfect progressive</a> (sometimes referred to as the past perfect continuous) combines <i>had</i> (the simple past of <i>have</i>) with <i>been</i> (the past participle of <i>be</i>) and the present participle of the main verb: <i>You had been waiting</i>. It is used to refer to an ongoing action that continued up to the past time of reference. It indicates how long an event had lasted before a specific past moment (as in <i>We had been walking since sunrise, and we were hungry</i>). It emphasizes the continuity of an event rather than its completion (as in <i>I had been reading science fiction, and my mind was full of strange images</i>, whereas <i>I had read all the magazines and got bored</i> emphasizes completion). It describes relatively short-lived situations (as in <i>My legs were stiff because I had been standing still for a long time</i>, whereas <i>The tree that blew down had stood there for 500 years</i> emphasizes a long-lasting state). In reported speech, it replaces the past progressive and present perfect progressive (as in <i>Mary's mother said she'd been having a wonderful time in Italy</i>).</li> <li>The expression <i><a href="/wiki/Used_to" class="mw-redirect" title="Used to">used to</a></i> (with the <a href="/wiki/Infinitive" title="Infinitive">infinitive</a> of the main verb) denotes a past <a href="/wiki/Habitual_aspect" title="Habitual aspect">habitual</a> situation (<i>I used to play football when I was young</i>), although with a <a href="/wiki/Stative_verb" title="Stative verb">stative verb</a> it can just indicate that a state was continuously in effect (<i>I used to belong to that club</i>). It is often used to emphasize that something happened a long time ago and is no longer the case. Another way of referring to past habitual action is to use <i><a href="/wiki/English_modal_verbs#will" class="mw-redirect" title="English modal verbs">would</a></i>, as in <i>As a child I would play the piano every day</i>, although this auxiliary has other uses as well. For further details see <a href="/wiki/English_modal_verbs" class="mw-redirect" title="English modal verbs">English modal verbs</a>.</li></ul> <p>For details of the usage of the various constructions used to refer to the past, see <a href="/wiki/Uses_of_English_verb_forms" title="Uses of English verb forms">Uses of English verb forms</a>. The past tense is also used in referring to some hypothetical situations, not necessarily connected with past time, as in <i>if I tried</i> or <i>I wish I knew</i>. (For the possible use of <i>were</i> in place of <i>was</i> in such instances, see <a href="/wiki/English_subjunctive" title="English subjunctive">English subjunctive</a>.) </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="German">German</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: German"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/German_language" title="German language">German</a> uses three forms for the past tense. </p> <ul><li>The preterite (<i>Präteritum</i>) (called the "imperfect" in older grammar books, but this, a borrowing from Latin terminology, ill describes it.)</li> <li>The perfect (<i>Perfekt</i>)</li> <li>The past perfect (<i>Plusquamperfekt</i>)</li></ul> <p>In southern <a href="/wiki/Germany" title="Germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a> and <a href="/wiki/Switzerland" title="Switzerland">Switzerland</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Preterite" title="Preterite">preterite</a> is mostly used solely in writing, for example in stories. Use in speech is regarded as snobbish and thus very uncommon. South German dialects, such as the Bavarian dialect, as well as <a href="/wiki/Yiddish_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Yiddish language">Yiddish</a> and Swiss German, have no preterite (with the exception of <i>sein</i> and <i>wollen</i>), but only perfect constructs. </p><p>In certain regions, a few specific verbs are used in the preterite, for instance the modal verbs and the verbs <i>haben</i> (have) and <i>sein</i> (be). </p> <ul><li>Es <b>gab</b> einmal ein kleines Mädchen, das Rotkäppchen <b>hieß</b>. (There <i>was</i> once a small girl who <i>was called</i> Little Red Riding Hood.)</li></ul> <p>In speech and informal writing, the <i>Perfekt</i> is used (e.g., Ich <i>habe</i> dies und das <i>gesagt</i>. (I said this and that)). </p><p>However, in the oral mode of North Germany, there is still a very important difference between the preterite and the <a href="/wiki/Present_perfect" title="Present perfect">perfect</a>, and both tenses are consequently very common. The preterite is used for past actions when the focus is on the action, whilst the present perfect is used for past actions when the focus is on the present state of the subject as a result of a previous action. This is somewhat similar to the English usage of the preterite and the present perfect. </p> <ul><li>Preterite: "Heute früh <i>kam</i> mein Freund." (my friend came early in the morning, and he is being talked about strictly in the past)</li> <li>Perfect: "Heute früh <i>ist</i> mein Freund <i>gekommen</i>." (my friend came early in the morning, but he is being talked about in the present)</li></ul> <p>The past perfect is used in every German speaking country and it is used to place an action in the past before another action in the past. It is formed with an auxiliary (haben/sein) and a past participle that is placed at the end of the clause. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Dutch">Dutch</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Dutch"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Dutch_language" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a> mainly uses these two past tenses: </p> <ul><li><i>onvoltooid verleden tijd</i>, which matches the English simple past and the German preterite, for example: <i>Gisteren <b>was</b> ik daar</i> ("I was there yesterday").</li> <li><i>voltooid tegenwoordige tijd</i>, a present tense with the meaning of perfect. This form is made by combining a form of <i>zijn</i> ("to be") or <i>hebben</i> ("to have") with the notional verb, for example: <i>Gisteren <b>ben</b> ik daar <b>geweest</b></i>. This also means "I was there yesterday", but just as it is the case for English constructions with the present perfect simple, this kind of formulation puts more emphasis on the "being finished"-aspect.</li></ul> <p>Less common is the <i>voltooid verleden tijd</i>, which corresponds to the English past perfect. It is formed by combining an <i>onvoltooid verleden</i> form of <i>zijn</i> ("to be") or <i>hebben</i> ("to have") with the notional verb, for example: <i>Ik <b>was</b> daar voor gisteren al <b>geweest</b>.</i> This means "I had been there before yesterday." This tense is used to indicate that one action in the past occurred before another past action, and that the action was fully finished before the second action took place. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Other_groups">Other groups</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Other groups"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In non-Germanic <a href="/wiki/Indo-European_languages" title="Indo-European languages">Indo-European languages</a>, past marking is typically combined with a distinction between <a href="/wiki/Perfective" class="mw-redirect" title="Perfective">perfective</a> and <a href="/wiki/Imperfective" class="mw-redirect" title="Imperfective">imperfective</a> aspect, with the former reserved for single completed actions in the past. <a href="/wiki/French_language" title="French language">French</a> for instance, has an imperfect tense form similar to that of German but used only for past habitual or past progressive contexts like "I used to..." or "I was doing...". Similar patterns extend across most languages of the Indo-European family right through to the <a href="/wiki/Indo-Aryan_languages" title="Indo-Aryan languages">Indic languages</a>. </p><p>Unlike other Indo-European languages, in <a href="/wiki/Slavic_languages" title="Slavic languages">Slavic languages</a> tense is independent of <a href="/wiki/Grammatical_aspect" title="Grammatical aspect">aspect</a>, with <a href="/wiki/Imperfective" class="mw-redirect" title="Imperfective">imperfective</a> and <a href="/wiki/Perfective" class="mw-redirect" title="Perfective">perfective</a> aspects being indicated instead by means of prefixes, stem changes, or <a href="/wiki/Suppletion" title="Suppletion">suppletion</a>. In many <a href="/wiki/West_Slavic_languages" title="West Slavic languages">West Slavic</a> and <a href="/wiki/East_Slavic_languages" title="East Slavic languages">East Slavic</a> languages, the <a href="/wiki/Old_Church_Slavonic_grammar#Verbs" title="Old Church Slavonic grammar">early Slavic</a> past tenses have largely merged into a single past tense. In both West and East Slavic, verbs in the past tense are conjugated for <a href="/wiki/Grammatical_gender" title="Grammatical gender">gender</a> (masculine, feminine, neuter) and <a href="/wiki/Grammatical_number" title="Grammatical number">number</a> (singular, plural). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Romance">Romance</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Romance"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading5"><h5 id="French">French</h5><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: French"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/French_verbs" title="French verbs">French verbs</a></div> <p><a href="/wiki/French_language" title="French language">French</a> has numerous forms of the past tense including but not limited to: </p> <ul><li>Past perfective (<i><a href="/wiki/Pass%C3%A9_compos%C3%A9" title="Passé composé">passé composé</a></i>) e.g. <i>J'ai mangé</i> (<i>I ate</i> or <i>I have eaten</i>, using the form but usually not the meaning of <i>I have eaten</i>)</li> <li>Past imperfective (<i>imparfait</i>) e.g. <i>Je mangeais</i> (<i>I was eating</i>)</li> <li>Past historic or Simple past (<i>passé simple</i>) e.g. <i>Je mangeai</i> (<i>I ate</i>) (literary only)</li> <li>Pluperfect (<i>Plus que parfait</i>) e.g. <i>J'avais mangé</i> (<i>I had eaten</i> [before another event in the past])</li> <li>Recent past (<i>passé recent</i>) e.g. <i>Je viens de manger</i> (<i>I just ate</i> or <i>I have just eaten</i>)</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading5"><h5 id="Spanish_and_Portuguese">Spanish and Portuguese</h5><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Spanish and Portuguese"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Spanish_verb_conjugation" class="mw-redirect" title="Spanish verb conjugation">Spanish verb conjugation</a> and <a href="/wiki/Portuguese_verb_conjugation" class="mw-redirect" title="Portuguese verb conjugation">Portuguese verb conjugation</a></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Spanish_language" title="Spanish language">Spanish</a> and <a href="/wiki/Portuguese_language" title="Portuguese language">Portuguese</a> have several forms of the past tense, which include but are not limited to: </p> <ul><li>Preterite tense (<i>préterito, pretérito</i>) e.g. <i>Yo comí</i> and <i>Eu comi</i> (<i>I ate</i> or <i>I have eaten</i>)</li> <li>Past imperfective (<i>imperfecto, imperfeito</i>) e.g. <i>Yo comía</i> and <i>Eu comia</i> (<i>I was eating</i>)</li> <li>Pluperfect (<i>pluperfecto, mais-que-perfeito</i>) e.g. <i>Yo había comido</i> or <i>Yo hube comido</i> and <i>Eu comera</i> or <i>Eu tinha comido</i> (<i>I had eaten</i> [before another event in the past])</li></ul> <p>A difference in the pluperfect occurs between Spanish and Portuguese; in the latter, a synthetic pluperfect exists which follows the imperfect conjugations, but -ra replaces the -va seen in the verb endings. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="African_languages">African languages</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: African languages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>While in <a href="/wiki/Semitic_languages" title="Semitic languages">Semitic languages</a> tripartite non-past/past imperfective/past perfective systems similar to those of most Indo-European languages are found, in the rest of Africa past tenses have very different forms from those found in European languages. <a href="/wiki/Berber_languages" title="Berber languages">Berber languages</a> have only the perfective/imperfective distinction and lack a past imperfect. </p><p>Many non-Bantu <a href="/wiki/Niger%E2%80%93Congo_languages" title="Niger–Congo languages">Niger–Congo languages</a> of West Africa do not mark past tense at all but instead have a form of <a href="/wiki/Perfect_(grammar)" title="Perfect (grammar)">perfect</a> derived from a word meaning "to finish". Others, such as <a href="/wiki/Ewe_language" title="Ewe language">Ewe</a>, distinguish only between <a href="/wiki/Future_tense" title="Future tense">future</a> and <a href="/wiki/Nonfuture_tense" title="Nonfuture tense">non-future</a>. </p><p>In complete contrast, <a href="/wiki/Bantu_languages" title="Bantu languages">Bantu languages</a> such as <a href="/wiki/Zulu_language" title="Zulu language">Zulu</a> have not only a past tense, but also a less remote <i>proximal tense</i> which is used for very recent past events and is never interchangeable with the ordinary past form. These languages also differ substantially from European languages in coding tense with <a href="/wiki/Prefix" title="Prefix">prefixes</a> instead of such suffixes as English <i>-ed</i>. </p><p>Other, smaller language families of Africa follow quite regional patterns. Thus the <a href="/wiki/Sudanic_languages" title="Sudanic languages">Sudanic languages</a> of East Africa and adjacent Afro-Asiatic families are part of the same area with inflectional past-marking that extends into Europe, whereas more westerly Nilo-Saharan languages often do not have past tense. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Asian_languages">Asian languages</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Asian languages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Past tenses are found in a variety of Asian languages. These include the Indo-European languages <a href="/wiki/Russian_language" title="Russian language">Russian</a> in North Asia and <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a>, <a href="/wiki/Urdu_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Urdu language">Urdu</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nepali_language" title="Nepali language">Nepali</a> and <a href="/wiki/Hindi_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Hindi language">Hindi</a> in Southwest and South Asia; the <a href="/wiki/Turkic_languages" title="Turkic languages">Turkic languages</a> <a href="/wiki/Turkish_language" title="Turkish language">Turkish</a>, <a href="/wiki/Turkmen_language" title="Turkmen language">Turkmen</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kazakh_language" title="Kazakh language">Kazakh</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Uyghur_language" title="Uyghur language">Uyghur</a> of Southwest and Central Asia; <a href="/wiki/Arabic_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Arabic language">Arabic</a> and <a href="/wiki/Hebrew_language" title="Hebrew language">Hebrew</a> in Southwest Asia; <a href="/wiki/Japanese_language" title="Japanese language">Japanese</a>; the <a href="/wiki/Dravidian_languages" title="Dravidian languages">Dravidian languages</a> of India; the <a href="/wiki/Uralic_languages" title="Uralic languages">Uralic languages</a> of Russia; <a href="/wiki/Mongolic_languages" title="Mongolic languages">Mongolic</a>; and <a href="/wiki/Korean_language" title="Korean language">Korean</a>. Languages in <a href="/wiki/East_Asia" title="East Asia">East Asia</a> and <a href="/wiki/Southeast_Asia" title="Southeast Asia">Southeast Asia</a> typically do not distinguish tense; in <a href="/wiki/Mandarin_Chinese" title="Mandarin Chinese">Mandarin Chinese</a>, for example, the particle 了<i>le</i> when used immediately after a verb instead indicates <a href="/wiki/Perfective_aspect" title="Perfective aspect">perfective aspect</a>. </p><p>In parts of islands in Southeast Asia, even less distinction is made, for instance in <a href="/wiki/Indonesian_language" title="Indonesian language">Indonesian</a> and some other <a href="/wiki/Austronesian_languages" title="Austronesian languages">Austronesian languages</a>. Past tenses, do, however, exist in most <a href="/wiki/Oceanic_languages" title="Oceanic languages">Oceanic languages</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="The_Americas">The Americas</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: The Americas"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Among <a href="/wiki/Indigenous_languages_of_the_Americas" title="Indigenous languages of the Americas">Native American languages</a> there is a split between complete absence of past marking (especially common in Mesoamerica and the Pacific Northwest) and very complex tense marking with numerous specialised remoteness distinctions, as found for instance in <a href="/wiki/Athabaskan_languages" title="Athabaskan languages">Athabaskan languages</a> and a few languages of the Amazon Basin. Some of these tenses can have specialised mythological significance and uses. </p><p>A number of Native American languages like Northern Paiute stand in contrast to European notions of tense because they always use <a href="/wiki/Relative_tense" class="mw-redirect" title="Relative tense">relative tense</a>, which means time relative to a reference point that may not coincide with the time an utterance is made. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="New_Guinea">New Guinea</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: New Guinea"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Papuan_languages" title="Papuan languages">Papuan languages</a> of New Guinea almost always have remoteness distinctions in the past tense (though none are as elaborate as some Native American languages), whilst <a href="/wiki/Indigenous_Australian_languages" class="mw-redirect" title="Indigenous Australian languages">indigenous Australian languages</a> usually have a single past tense without remoteness distinctions. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Creole_languages">Creole languages</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Creole languages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Creole_language" title="Creole language">Creole languages</a> tend to make tense marking optional, and when tense is marked invariant pre-verbal markers are used.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Belizean_Creole">Belizean Creole</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: Belizean Creole"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In <a href="/wiki/Belizean_Creole" title="Belizean Creole">Belizean Creole</a>, past tense marking is optional and is rarely used if a semantic temporal marker such as <i>yestudeh</i> "yesterday" is present. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Singaporean_English_Creole">Singaporean English Creole</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: Singaporean English Creole"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Singaporean English Creole (<a href="/wiki/Singlish" title="Singlish">Singlish</a>) optionally marks the past tense, most often in irregular verbs (e.g., <i>go</i> → <i>went</i>) and regular verbs like <i>accept</i> which require an extra syllable for the past tense suffix -<i>ed</i>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Hawaiian_Creole_English">Hawaiian Creole English</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: Hawaiian Creole English"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Hawaiian_Creole_English" class="mw-redirect" title="Hawaiian Creole English">Hawaiian Creole English</a><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> optionally marks the past tense with the invariant pre-verbal marker <i>wen</i> or <i>bin</i> (especially older speakers) or <span title="Hawai'i Creole English-language text"><i lang="hwc">haed</i></span> (especially on the island Kauai). (<span title="Hawai'i Creole English-language text"><i lang="hwc">Ai wen si om</i></span> "I saw him"; <span title="Hawai'i Creole English-language text"><i lang="hwc">Ai bin klin ap mai ples for da halade</i></span> "I cleaned up my place for the holiday"; <span title="Hawai'i Creole English-language text"><i lang="hwc">De haed plei BYU laes wik</i></span> "They played BYU last week"). The past habitual marker is <span title="Hawai'i Creole English-language text"><i lang="hwc">yustu</i></span> (<span title="Hawai'i Creole English-language text"><i lang="hwc">Yo mada yustu tink so</i></span> "Your mother used to think so"). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Haitian_Creole">Haitian Creole</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: Haitian Creole"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Haitian_Creole" title="Haitian Creole">Haitian Creole</a><sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> can indicate past tense with the pre-verbal marker <i>te</i> (<i>Li te vini</i> "He (past) come", "He came"). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Past_tense&action=edit&section=20" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-Comrie_tense-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Comrie_tense_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Comrie, Bernard, <i>Tense</i>, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1985.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">cf. Watkins, Mark Hanna, <i>A Grammar of Chichewa</i> (1937), p. 56.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">cf. Comrie, Bernard (1976) <i>Aspect</i>, pp. 28-29</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Comrie, Bernard, <i>Aspect</i>, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1976.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFLeech2001" class="citation book cs1">Leech, Geoffrey (2001). <i>An A – Z of English Grammar and Usage</i>. Harlow: Longman. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-582-40574-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-582-40574-2"><bdi>0-582-40574-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=An+A+%E2%80%93+Z+of+English+Grammar+and+Usage&rft.place=Harlow&rft.pub=Longman&rft.date=2001&rft.isbn=0-582-40574-2&rft.aulast=Leech&rft.aufirst=Geoffrey&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APast+tense" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFSwan2015" class="citation book cs1">Swan, Michael (2015). <i>Practical English Usage</i>. Oxford: <a href="/wiki/Oxford_University_Press" title="Oxford University Press">Oxford University Press</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-442098-3" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-442098-3"><bdi>978-0-19-442098-3</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Practical+English+Usage&rft.place=Oxford&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2015&rft.isbn=978-0-19-442098-3&rft.aulast=Swan&rft.aufirst=Michael&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APast+tense" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Holm, John, <i>Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles</i>, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2000: ch. 6.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Sakoda, Kent, and Siegel, Jeff, <i>Pidgin Grammar</i>, Bess Press, 2003: pp. 38ff.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Turnbull, Wally R., <i>Creole Made Easy</i>, Light Messages, 2000: p. 13.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox-styles+.navbox{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output .navbox-inner,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{width:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-title,.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow{padding:0.25em 1em;line-height:1.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group{white-space:nowrap;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{background-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list{line-height:1.5em;border-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list-with-group{text-align:left;border-left-width:2px;border-left-style:solid}.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-group,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-image,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-list{border-top:2px solid #fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title{background-color:#ccf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-title{background-color:#ddf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-abovebelow{background-color:#e6e6ff}.mw-parser-output .navbox-even{background-color:#f7f7f7}.mw-parser-output .navbox-odd{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ul,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Grammatical_tenses22" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231" /><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Grammatical_tenses" title="Template:Grammatical tenses"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Grammatical_tenses" title="Template talk:Grammatical tenses"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Grammatical_tenses" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Grammatical tenses"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Grammatical_tenses22" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Grammatical_tense" title="Grammatical tense">Grammatical tenses</a></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Future_tense" title="Future tense">Future</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Crastinal_tense" title="Crastinal tense">Crastinal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Going-to_future" title="Going-to future">Going-to</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Near_future_(grammar)" title="Near future (grammar)">Near</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nonfuture_tense" title="Nonfuture tense">Nonfuture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nonpast_tense" title="Nonpast tense">Nonpast</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nonpresent_tense" title="Nonpresent tense">Nonpresent</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Present_tense" title="Present tense">Present</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Hodiernal_tense" title="Hodiernal tense">Hodiernal</a></li></ul></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Past</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Hesternal_tense" title="Hesternal tense">Hesternal</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Present_perfect" title="Present perfect">Present perfect</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pluperfect" title="Pluperfect">Pluperfect</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Future_perfect" title="Future perfect">Future perfect</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Future_in_the_past" title="Future in the past">Future in the past / Future perfect in the past</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Counterfactual_conditional#Fake_tense" title="Counterfactual conditional">Fake</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Relative_and_absolute_tense" title="Relative and absolute tense">Relative and absolute</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Periodic_tense" title="Periodic tense">Periodic tense</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235" /></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Narrative321" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible mw-collapsed navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231" /><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Narrative" title="Template:Narrative"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Narrative" title="Template talk:Narrative"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Narrative" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Narrative"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Narrative321" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Narrative" title="Narrative">Narrative</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Character_(arts)" title="Character (arts)">Character</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Antagonist" title="Antagonist">Antagonist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Archenemy" title="Archenemy">Archenemy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Character_arc" title="Character arc">Character arc</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Character_flaw" title="Character flaw">Character flaw</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Characterization" title="Characterization">Characterization</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Confidant" title="Confidant">Confidant</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deuteragonist" title="Deuteragonist">Deuteragonist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/False_protagonist" title="False protagonist">False protagonist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Focal_character" title="Focal character">Focal character</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Foil_(narrative)" title="Foil (narrative)">Foil</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gothic_double" title="Gothic double">Gothic double</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Hamartia" title="Hamartia">Hamartia</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hero" title="Hero">Hero</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Antihero" title="Antihero">Anti</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Byronic_hero" title="Byronic hero">Byronic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tragic_hero" title="Tragic hero">Tragic</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narration" title="Narration">Narrator</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Protagonist" title="Protagonist">Protagonist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stock_character" title="Stock character">Stock character</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Straight_man" title="Straight man">Straight man</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Supporting_character" title="Supporting character">Supporting character</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Title_character" title="Title character">Title character</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tritagonist" title="Tritagonist">Tritagonist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Villain" title="Villain">Villain</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Plot_(narrative)" title="Plot (narrative)">Plot</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Ab_ovo" title="Ab ovo">Ab ovo</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Action_(narrative)" title="Action (narrative)">Action</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Backstory" title="Backstory">Backstory</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Origin_story" title="Origin story">Origin story</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chekhov%27s_gun" title="Chekhov's gun">Chekhov's gun</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Clich%C3%A9" title="Cliché">Cliché</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cliffhanger" title="Cliffhanger">Cliffhanger</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Conflict_(narrative)" title="Conflict (narrative)">Conflict</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Deus_ex_machina" title="Deus ex machina">Deus ex machina</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dialogue_in_writing" title="Dialogue in writing">Dialogue</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dramatic_structure" class="mw-redirect" title="Dramatic structure">Dramatic structure</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eucatastrophe" title="Eucatastrophe">Eucatastrophe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Foreshadowing" title="Foreshadowing">Foreshadowing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flashback_(narrative)" title="Flashback (narrative)">Flashback</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flashforward" title="Flashforward">Flashforward</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Frame_story" title="Frame story">Frame story</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/In_medias_res" title="In medias res">In medias res</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Kish%C5%8Dtenketsu" title="Kishōtenketsu">Kishōtenketsu</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/MacGuffin" title="MacGuffin">MacGuffin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pace_(narrative)" title="Pace (narrative)">Pace</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Plot_device" title="Plot device">Plot device</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Plot_twist" title="Plot twist">Plot twist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Poetic_justice" title="Poetic justice">Poetic justice</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Red_herring" title="Red herring">Red herring</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reveal_(narrative)" title="Reveal (narrative)">Reveal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Self-insertion" title="Self-insertion">Self-insertion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shaggy_dog_story" title="Shaggy dog story">Shaggy dog story</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stereotype" title="Stereotype">Stereotype</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Story_arc" title="Story arc">Story arc</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Story_within_a_story" title="Story within a story">Story within a story</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Subplot" title="Subplot">Subplot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Suspense" title="Suspense">Suspense</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trope_(literature)" title="Trope (literature)">Trope</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Setting_(narrative)" title="Setting (narrative)">Setting</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Alternate_history" title="Alternate history">Alternate history</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Backstory" title="Backstory">Backstory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Crossover_(fiction)" title="Crossover (fiction)">Crossover</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dream_world_(plot_device)" title="Dream world (plot device)">Dreamworld</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dystopia" title="Dystopia">Dystopia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fictional_location" title="Fictional location">Fictional location</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Fictional_city" class="mw-redirect" title="Fictional city">city</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fictional_country" title="Fictional country">country</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fictional_universe" title="Fictional universe">universe</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Parallel_universes_in_fiction" title="Parallel universes in fiction">parallel</a></li></ul></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Utopia" title="Utopia">Utopia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Worldbuilding" title="Worldbuilding">Worldbuilding</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Theme_(narrative)" title="Theme (narrative)">Theme</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Irony" title="Irony">Irony</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Leitmotif" title="Leitmotif">Leitmotif</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Metaphor" title="Metaphor">Metaphor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moral" title="Moral">Moral</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moral_development" title="Moral development">Moral development</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Motif_(narrative)" title="Motif (narrative)">Motif</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Deal_with_the_Devil" title="Deal with the Devil">Deal with the Devil</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Good_and_evil" title="Good and evil">Conflict between good and evil</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Self-fulfilling_prophecy" title="Self-fulfilling prophecy">Self-fulfilling prophecy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Time_travel" title="Time travel">Time travel</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Writing_style" title="Writing style">Style</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Allegory" title="Allegory">Allegory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bathos" title="Bathos">Bathos</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Comic_relief" title="Comic relief">Comic relief</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Diction" title="Diction">Diction</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Figure_of_speech" title="Figure of speech">Figure of speech</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Imagery" title="Imagery">Imagery</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mode_(literature)" title="Mode (literature)">Mode</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mood_(literature)" title="Mood (literature)">Mood</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narration" title="Narration">Narration</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_narrative_techniques" title="List of narrative techniques">Narrative techniques</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Narrative_hook" title="Narrative hook">Hook</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Show,_don%27t_tell" title="Show, don't tell">Show, don't tell</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stylistic_device" title="Stylistic device">Stylistic device</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief" title="Suspension of disbelief">Suspension of disbelief</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Symbolism_(arts)" class="mw-redirect" title="Symbolism (arts)">Symbolism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tone_(literature)" title="Tone (literature)">Tone</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Dramatic_structure" class="mw-redirect" title="Dramatic structure">Structure</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Act_(drama)" title="Act (drama)">Act</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Dramatic_structure" class="mw-redirect" title="Dramatic structure">Act structure</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Three-act_structure" title="Three-act structure">Three-act structure</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Freytag%27s_Pyramid" class="mw-redirect" title="Freytag's Pyramid">Freytag's Pyramid</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Exposition_(narrative)" title="Exposition (narrative)">Exposition</a>/<a href="/wiki/Protasis" title="Protasis">Protasis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Epitasis" title="Epitasis">Rising action/Epitasis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Climax_(narrative)" title="Climax (narrative)">Climax</a>/<a href="/wiki/Peripeteia" title="Peripeteia">Peripeteia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catastasis" title="Catastasis">Falling action/Catastasis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catastrophe_(drama)" title="Catastrophe (drama)">Denouement/Catastrophe</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narrative_structure" class="mw-redirect" title="Narrative structure">Linear narrative</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nonlinear_narrative" title="Nonlinear narrative">Nonlinear narrative</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_nonlinear_narrative_films" title="List of nonlinear narrative films">films</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_nonlinear_narrative_television_series" title="List of nonlinear narrative television series">television series</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Premise_(narrative)" title="Premise (narrative)">Premise</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Types_of_fiction_with_multiple_endings" title="Types of fiction with multiple endings">Types of fiction with multiple endings</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/List_of_narrative_forms" title="List of narrative forms">Form</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Drama" title="Drama">Drama</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Fabliau" title="Fabliau">Fabliau</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flash_fiction" title="Flash fiction">Flash fiction</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Folklore" title="Folklore">Folklore</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Fable" title="Fable">Fable</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fairy_tale" title="Fairy tale">Fairy tale</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Legend" title="Legend">Legend</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Myth" title="Myth">Myth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tall_tale" title="Tall tale">Tall tale</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gamebook" title="Gamebook">Gamebook</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narrative_art" title="Narrative art">Narrative art</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narrative_poetry" title="Narrative poetry">Narrative poetry</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Epic_poetry" title="Epic poetry">Epic poetry</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Novel" title="Novel">Novel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Novella" title="Novella">Novella</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parable" title="Parable">Parable</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Short_story" title="Short story">Short story</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vignette_(literature)" title="Vignette (literature)">Vignette</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Literary_genre" title="Literary genre">Genre</a><br />(<a href="/wiki/List_of_writing_genres" title="List of writing genres">List</a>)</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Fiction" title="Fiction">Fiction</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Action_fiction" title="Action fiction">Action fiction</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Adventure_fiction" title="Adventure fiction">Adventure</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Comic_novel" title="Comic novel">Comic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Crime_fiction" title="Crime fiction">Crime</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Docufiction" title="Docufiction">Docu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Epistolary_novel" title="Epistolary novel">Epistolary</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ergodic_literature" title="Ergodic literature">Ergodic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Erotic_literature" title="Erotic literature">Erotic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Historical_fiction" title="Historical fiction">Historical</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Western_fiction" title="Western fiction">Western</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mystery_fiction" title="Mystery fiction">Mystery</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nautical_fiction" title="Nautical fiction">Nautical</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paranoid_fiction" title="Paranoid fiction">Paranoid</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Philosophical_fiction" title="Philosophical fiction">Philosophical</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Picaresque_novel" title="Picaresque novel">Picaresque</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Political_fiction" title="Political fiction">Political</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pop_culture_fiction" title="Pop culture fiction">Pop culture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Psychological_fiction" title="Psychological fiction">Psychological</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Inspirational_fiction" title="Inspirational fiction">Religious</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rogue_literature" title="Rogue literature">Rogue</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Romance_novel" title="Romance novel">Romance</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Chivalric_romance" title="Chivalric romance">Chivalric</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Romance_(prose_fiction)" title="Romance (prose fiction)">Prose</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Saga" title="Saga">Saga</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Satire" title="Satire">Satire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Speculative_fiction" title="Speculative fiction">Speculative fiction</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Fantasy" title="Fantasy">Fantasy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gothic_fiction" title="Gothic fiction">Gothic</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Southern_Gothic" title="Southern Gothic">Southern</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Horror_fiction" title="Horror fiction">Horror</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Magic_realism" class="mw-redirect" title="Magic realism">Magic realism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Science_fiction" title="Science fiction">Science</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Hard_science_fiction" title="Hard science fiction">Hard</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Utopian_and_dystopian_fiction" title="Utopian and dystopian fiction">Utopian and dystopian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_underwater_science_fiction_works" title="List of underwater science fiction works">Underwater</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Superhero_fiction" title="Superhero fiction">Superhero</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Theological_fiction" title="Theological fiction">Theological</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Thriller_(genre)" title="Thriller (genre)">Thriller</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Urban_fiction" title="Urban fiction">Urban</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nonfiction" class="mw-redirect" title="Nonfiction">Nonfiction</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Autobiography" title="Autobiography">Autobiography</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Biography" title="Biography">Biography</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Non-fiction_novel" title="Non-fiction novel">Novel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Creative_nonfiction" title="Creative nonfiction">Creative</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Narration" title="Narration">Narration</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Diegesis" title="Diegesis">Diegesis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First-person_narrative" title="First-person narrative">First-person</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second-person_narrative" class="mw-redirect" title="Second-person narrative">Second-person</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Third-person_narrative" class="mw-redirect" title="Third-person narrative">Third-person</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Third-person_omniscient_narrative" class="mw-redirect" title="Third-person omniscient narrative">Third-person omniscient narrative</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narration#Subjective_or_objective" title="Narration">Subjectivity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Unreliable_narrator" title="Unreliable narrator">Unreliable narrator</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Multiperspectivity" title="Multiperspectivity">Multiple narrators</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stream_of_consciousness" title="Stream of consciousness">Stream of consciousness</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stream_of_unconsciousness" title="Stream of unconsciousness">Stream of unconsciousness</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Grammatical_tense" title="Grammatical tense">Tense</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Past</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Present_tense" title="Present tense">Present</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Future_tense" title="Future tense">Future</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Dominant_narrative" title="Dominant narrative">Dominant narrative</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fiction_writing" title="Fiction writing">Fiction writing</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Continuity_(fiction)" title="Continuity (fiction)">Continuity</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Canon_(fiction)" title="Canon (fiction)">Canon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reboot_(fiction)" title="Reboot (fiction)">Reboot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Retroactive_continuity" title="Retroactive continuity">Retcon</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parallel_novel" title="Parallel novel">Parallel novel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prequel" title="Prequel">Prequel</a> / <a href="/wiki/Sequel" title="Sequel">Sequel</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Genre" title="Genre">Genre</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_genres" title="List of genres">List</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Literary_criticism" title="Literary criticism">Literary science</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Literary_theory" title="Literary theory">Literary theory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narrative_identity" title="Narrative identity">Narrative identity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narrative_paradigm" title="Narrative paradigm">Narrative paradigm</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narrative_therapy" title="Narrative therapy">Narrative therapy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narratology" title="Narratology">Narratology</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Metafiction" title="Metafiction">Metafiction</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Political_narrative" title="Political narrative">Political narrative</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rhetoric" title="Rhetoric">Rhetoric</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_rhetorical_terms" title="Glossary of rhetorical terms">Glossary</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Screenwriting" title="Screenwriting">Screenwriting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Template:Works_series" title="Template:Works series">Series of works</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Storytelling" title="Storytelling">Storytelling</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tellability" title="Tellability">Tellability</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Verisimilitude_(fiction)" title="Verisimilitude (fiction)">Verisimilitude</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235" /><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1038841319">.mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox authority-control" aria-label="Navbox600" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Help:Authority_control" title="Help:Authority control">Authority control databases</a>: National <span class="mw-valign-text-top noprint" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a 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