International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change. www.ijicc.

net
Volume 14, Issue 9, 2020

Tense in Modern Standard Arabic

Yasir Alotaibi1, Abdel Fattah Daw2, Muhammad Alzaidi3 1Prince Sattam bin
Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, 2Department of Arabic Language, Prince Sattam
bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia. 3Department of English, King Saud
University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Email: [email protected]

The main aim of this paper is to describe the system of tense in

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It follows some linguists in
distinguishing between three points of tense: the speech time, the
event time and the reference time. We describe the past tense in
MSA and argue that there are four types of past in this language
and they should contain the perfective form, which indicates the
past tense in neutral context. In addition, this paper discusses the
present tense, which is indicated by the imperfective form. We
argue that the imperfective form is ambiguous between two
aspects of present: habitual and continuous. Finally, we describe
the future tense in MSA and show that it is indicated by the
imperfective form, following the prefix sa, which is used for
near future, or the particle sawfa, which is used for far future.

Key words: Modern Standard Arabic, Tense, Language, tense, aspect, perfective,
imperfective.

Introduction

This paper describes tense in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). There is a debate in the literature
about tense in Arabic, in which some researchers argue that the Arabic language is a tenseless
language, meaning that the tense in this language does not come from the form of the verb,
while other researchers suggest that verbs in the Arabic language indicate tense. The latter
researchers do not, however, agree about the type of this tense, whether it is absolute tense,
taking the present point as a reference point, or relative tense, taking another point from the
context as a reference point (for more information about this debate, see Comrie (1985) and
Alotaibi (2020)). In this paper, we suggest that MSA is a tensed language and that the tense is
indicated by using two verb forms: the perfective form, which indicates the past tense, and the
imperfective form, which indicates the present tense and also the future tense, if it follows the
prefix of the future or the particle of the future, respectively.

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This paper uses a system suggested by Reichenbach (1947) for describing the tense in MSA.
The following section discusses the system of Reichenbach (1947), which distinguishes
between three points in tense: the speech time, the reference time and the event time. The
following section discusses the tense in MSA and is divided into three subsections: the first
describes the past tense in MSA, where the perfective form is used to denote four types of past
in MSA and the difference between these types is in the degree of remoteness from the speech
time. The four types of past should be formed by adding an auxiliary or a particle to the
perfective form of verb. The second subsection describes the present tense in MSA, which is
indicated by the imperfective form of the verb. We show that the imperfective form in MSA is
ambiguous between two aspects: the habitual present and the present continuous, and the
context or adverbs should identify the right meaning. Also, we show that the present continuous
may be denoted by using an auxiliary preceding the imperfective form of verb. Finally, the
third subsection discusses the future tense and we show that the future tense in MSA is
indicated by a verb in the imperfective form following the prefix sa or the particle sawfa. In
this section, we argue that there is a difference in the degree of remoteness between sa and
sawfa, in which the former is used to indicate the near future and the latter is used to indicate
the far future.

An overview of tense

In traditional grammar tense is analysed as a relationship between the situation time and the
utterance time. That is, if the situation precedes the utterance, we use the past tense, if the
situation and the utterance occur together, we use the present tense, and if the situation occurs
after the utterance, we use the future tense. However, this view of tense cannot explain some
kinds of tense, such as the present perfect, as shown in (1), where the situation has occurred
before the utterance, meaning that John left before the speech, and we use the present form of
the auxiliary verb has. This problem is fixed by a modern analysis, such as the analysis of
Reichenbach (1947).

(1) John has left.

Reichenbach (1947) and following linguists, like Michaelis (2006) argue that the tense is not a
relationship between the situation and the utterance, instead it is a relation between the speech
time (S) and the reference time (R). Klein (1992) defines the reference time as the time that is
the reason for making the claim. For example, in example (1), the claim, which is John left,
was made for the present time, which is the time of the speech, but the situation has happened
in the past.

Reichenbach (1947) argues that we can show the meaning of time by three points, which are
speech time (S), event time (E) and reference time (R). When we describe the tense of a
sentence, we use a comma or a line to separate these points. The comma is used to show that

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the two points occur together at the same time, while the line is used to show that the left point
precede the right one. For example, the present perfect in example (1) should be presented as
(E_S,R) and this means that the event occurred before the speech time and the reference time,
which occur at the same time. In addition, the past tense in example (2) and the present tense
in example (3) should be represented as (E, R _S) and (E,R,S) respectively, meaning that the
event time and the reference time precede the speech time in the past tense and all the three
points occur at the same time in the present tense.

(2) John left.

(3) John leaves.

Tense in MSA

In this section, we discuss tense and aspect in MSA. We start with the past tense, which is
indicated by the perfective form. Then we describe the present tense, showing that it is
indicated by the imperfective form and this form is ambiguous between two aspects. Finally,
we discuss the future tense in MSA, which is indicated by the imperfective form, too. We use
the system of Reichenbach (1947) in describing all three tenses in MSA.

Past tense

The form of verb that is used to indicate the past in MSA is the perfective form. However, there
are different types of past in MSA, as suggested by Hassan (1994) and Alotaibi (2014). These
types are different in the remoteness from the speech time. We assume that these types of past
are four types. The first type constitutes by using the auxiliary kaan preceding a verb in the
perfective form and this type represents the furthest past. The next type of past is indicated by
qad, preceding kaan, which precedes a lexical verb in the perfective form. Qad is a particle
that has two usages in MSA, in which it asserts the situation before the perfective form and
does the opposite before the imperfective form. We believe that the confirmation of the
situation with the perfective form makes the meaning of this form closer to the speech time.
The third type of past is denoted by using a verb in the perfective form, and the fourth type is
formed by qad preceding a lexical verb in the perfective form. The following examples
illustrate the four types of past, respectively (We use the following abbreviation in our
examples: IPFV: IMPERFECTIVE, PFV: PERFECTIVE, 3SGM: THIRD PERSON,
SINGULAR AND MASCULINE, DEF: DEFINITE, GEN: GENITIVE, ACC:
ACCUSATIVE, NOM: NOMINATIVE):

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(4) a. zayd-un kaana kharaja mina al-bayt-i

Zayd-NOM be.PFV.3SGM exit.PFV.3SGM from DEF-house-GEN

`Zayd had left the house’

b. zayd-un kaana qad kharaja mina al-bayt-i

Zayd-NOM be.PFV.3SGM PAR exit.PFV.3SGM from DEF-house-GEN

`Zayd had left the house’

c. zayd-un kharaja mina al-bayt-i

Zayd-NOM exit.PFV.3SGM from DEF-house-GEN

`Zayd left the house’

d. zayd-un qad kharaja mina al-bayt-i

Zayd-NOM PAR exit.PFV.3SGM from DEF-house-GEN

`Zayd left the house’

We suggest that the examples in (4a) and (4b) are past perfect and the examples in (4c) and
(4d) are simple past. This means that in (4a) and (4b), the event time (E) occurs before the
reference time (R), which occurs before the speech time (S), and we can present the tense in
both examples, as (E_R_S). In contrast, in both examples (4c) and (4d), the event time (E) and
the reference time (R) occur together and precede the speech time (S), meaning that they should
be presented as (E,R_S).

In addition, the past tense in MSA can be with habitual or continuous aspect, but both aspects
are not comfortable with the perfective form in MSA. Instead, both aspects should be indicated
by verbs in the imperfective form. Therefore, these aspects can be denoted with past tense by
using an auxiliary in a perfective form preceding a lexical verb in the imperfective form. The
following examples show the habitual past in (5a), which contains the auxiliary kaan preceding
a verb in the imperfective form, and the past continuous in (5b), which contains the same
structure, but the context and the type of the lexical verb may specify the meaning.

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(5) a. saalim-un kaana yadhhabu ?ilaa al-madrasat-i kull-a

Salem-NOM be.PFV.3SGM go.IPFV.3SGM to DEF-school.GEN every.ACC

yawm-in. day.GEN

`Salem used to go to the school every day’

b. saalim-un kaana yalcabu fiy al-madrasat-i.

Salem-NOM be.PFV.3SGM play.IPFV.3SGM in DEF-school.GEN

`Salem was playing in the school’

Present tense

The present tense in MSA is indicated by a verb in the imperfective form. However, there is
more than one aspect that can be understood from the imperfective form. In other words, the
imperfective form may denote the simple present, the habitual present, or the present
continuous, and the context and the meaning of verbs usually specify the right aspect. The
following examples show the present tense in MSA by verbs in the imperfective form:
(6) a. saalim-un yaclamu al-ḥaqiyqat-a

Salem-NOM know.IPFV.3SGM DEF-truth.ACC

`Salem knows the truth’

b. Saalim-un yalcabu fiy al-ḥadiyqat-i al-?aan-a

Salem-NOM play.IPFV.3SGM in DEF-qarden-GEN now.ACC

`Salem is playing in the garden now’

c. Saalim-un yalcabu fiy al-ḥadiyqat-I kull-a yawm-in

Salem-NOM play.IPFV.3SGM in DEF-qarden-GEN every-ACC day-GEN

`Salem plays in the garden every day’

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Example (6a) indicates the simple present, while example (6b) indicates the present continuous
with the adverb now, which is comfortable with the continuous aspect. In contrast, the same
verb in example (6c) denotes the habitual present because the adverb every day is comfortable
with this aspect.

We should mention that there is a difference between verbs in relation to aspects and this
difference is based on the semantic meanings of verbs. Therefore, verbs are divided into two
different semantic meanings, namely, state verbs and dynamic verbs (see Comrie (1976, 1985),
Riemer (2010), and Kearns (2000)). We believe that if an imperfective verb is a state verb, it
denotes the simple present or the right now reading. In contrast, dynamic verbs that are in the
imperfective form are usually ambiguous between two interpretations: the habitual and
continuous aspects. This is obvious from the previous examples of the imperfective form, in
which the verb know, which is a state verb, gives the simple present meaning, while the verb
play, which is a dynamic verb, indicates continuous or habitual meaning, and this depends on
the type of adverb that is used in each example.

Additionally, in the present tense, the speech time (S), the event time (E), and the reference
time (R) are identical, meaning that all the examples in (6) above should be shown as (S, E, R),
in spite of the difference in aspects between these examples. In other words, the event time in
example (6c), which indicates the habitual aspect, is not really identical with the speech time
(S) and the reference time (R), but we follow Michaelis (2006) in assuming that present is a
state selector. This means that in example (6c), the speaker aims to relate this habit, which is
playing in the garden every day to Salem, and this is why the speaker uses the present tense.
In addition, MSA has a special form for the continuous aspect, which is the using of an auxiliary
in the imperfective form preceding a lexical verb in the imperfective form. The lexical verb in
this case should be a dynamic verb. The following examples illustrate the present tense with
one reading, which is the present continuous:

(7) a. zayd-un yakuwnu yalcabu fiy al-shaaric-i.

Zayd-NOM be.IPFV.3SGM play.IPFV.3SGM in DEF-street-GEN

`Zayd is playing in the street’

b. faaris-un yakuwnu ya?kulu fiy al-bayt-i.

Faris-NOM be.IPFV.3SGM eat.IPFV.3SGM in DEF-house-GEN

`Faris is eating in the house’

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3.3 Future tense

MSA has two verb forms: the perfective and the imperfective form. The future tense in MSA
is indicated by the imperfective form in some special contexts or by using the prefix sa or the
particle sawfa, preceding the imperfective form. However, there is a difference in the degree
of remoteness between the prefix sa and the particle sawfa, namely, sa indicates the near future
and sawfa the far future (see Alsuyawti (nd), Alansari (nd) and Abu-hayyan (nd)). The
following examples illustrate the two types of future tense in MSA:

(8) a. ?aḥmad-u sa-yadhhabu ?ilaa al-bayt-i.

Ahmad-NOM FUT-go.IPFV.3SGM to DEF-home-GEN

`Ahmad will go home’

b. ?aḥmad-u sawfa yadhhabu ?ilaa al-bayt-i.

Ahmad-NOM FUT go.IPFV.3SGM to DEF-home-GEN

`Ahmad will go home’

In the future tense, the event time (E) and the reference time (R) are identical and both should
follow the speech time (S). This means that both examples above should be represented as
(S_R,E).

Additionally, the future in MSA is close to the present in that all aspects that can be understood
from the imperfective form of verb should be in the future tense, and this is possible with both
the prefix of future sa and the particle sawfa. This means that if the imperfective form that is
used in the future is a state verb, the future should be simple, as shown in example (9a) below.
In contrast, when the imperfective form is a dynamic verb, it should be ambiguous between
two readings: the habitual future or the future continuous, as shown in example (9b) below:

(9) a. saalim-un sa-yuṣaddiqu al-khabar-a

Salem-NOM FUT-believe.IPFV.3SGM DEF-news-ACC

`Salem will believe the news’

b. saalim-un sawfa yamshiy ?ilaa al-camal-i.

Salem-NOM FUT walk.IPFV.3SGM to DEF-work-GEN

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`Salem will walk /be walking to work’

Moreover, the imperfective form in the future is the same as the imperfective form in the
present, in that if the verb in the imperfective form follows the auxiliary yakuwn, it indicates
the continuous. The following examples illustrate this with both sa and sawfa:

(10) a. fahd-un sa-yakuwnu yalcabu fiy al-mallcab-i.

Fahd-NOM FUT-be.IPFV.3SGM paly.IPFV.3SGM in DEF-stadium-GEN

`Fahd will be playing in the stadium’

b. fahd-un sawfa yakuwnu yalcabu fiy al-mallcab-i.

Fahd-NOM FUT be.IPFV.3SGM paly.IPFV.3SGM in DEF-stadium-GEN

`Fahd will be playing in the stadium’

Conclusion

This paper has discussed tense in MSA. It shows the three tenses in this language and identifies
the speech time, event time and reference time in each tense. We argue that MSA contains four
types of past with different degrees of remoteness and that all the four types use the perfective
form. Additionally, we discuss the present tense, which is indicated by the imperfective form.
We argue that the imperfective form is ambiguous between two aspects: habitual present and
present continuous. Finally, the paper describes the future tense, which is indicated by the
imperfective form, following the prefix sa, which is used for near future, or the particle sawfa,
which is used for far future. The past tense is represented as (E,R_S) in Reichenbach (1947)’s
system, the present as (E,R,S), and the future as (S_R,S).

Acknowledgement

This project is supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Prince Sattam Bin
Abdulaziz University and the number of the research project is 2020/02/16438.

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