In English
| Past reference time | Present reference time | Future reference time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event before reference time (anterior) | I had written | I have written | I will have written |
| Event at reference time (simultaneous) | I wrote | I write/am writing | I write/will write |
| Event after reference time (posterior) | I would write | I will write | I will write |
English can refer both to a reference time (past, present, or future) in which a situation takes place, and the time of a particular event relative to the reference time (before, at, or after).
Consider, for example, the following sentences:
- When I got home yesterday, John arrived and met me (past reference, simultaneous event).
- When I got home yesterday, John had already arrived (past reference, anterior event).
- When I got home yesterday, John called and said he would arrive soon (past reference, posterior event).
In a present frame of reference, the same sentences appear as follows:
- Whenever I get home, John arrives and meets me (present reference, simultaneous event).
- Whenever I get home, usually John has already arrived (present reference, anterior event).
- Whenever I get home, John usually calls and says he will arrive soon (present reference, posterior event).
The equivalent in a future frame of reference is as follows:
- When I get home tomorrow, John will arrive and meet me (future reference, simultaneous event).
- When I get home tomorrow, John will have already arrived (future reference, anterior event).
- When I get home tomorrow, John will probably call and say he will arrive soon (future reference, posterior event).
Read more about this topic: Relative And Absolute Tense
Famous quotes containing the word english:
“The first faults are theirs that commit them, the second theirs that permit them.”
—18th-century English proverb.
“English Bob: What I heard was that you fell off your horse, drunk, of course, and that you broke your bloody neck.
Little Bill Daggett: I heard that one myself, Bob. Hell, I even thought I was dead. ‘Til I found out it was just that I was in Nebraska.”
—David Webb Peoples, screenwriter. English Bob (Richard Harris)