tense

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• enPR: tĕns, IPA: /tɛns/, X-SAMPA: /tEns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛns

Etymology 1

From Old French tens (modern French temps), from Latin tempus.

Noun

tense (plural tenses)

1. (grammar) Any of the forms of a verb which distinguish when an action or state of being occurs or exists.

   The basic tenses in English are present, past, and future.

Derived terms

• tensal

Translations

verb forms distinguishing time

• Afrikaans: tyd, tempus
• Arabic: صيغة (ṣīġa) f, صيغة الفعل (ṣīġatu 'l-fiʻl) f
• Armenian: ժամանակ (hy) (žamanak) 
• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 時態 (cmn), 时态 (cmn) (shítài), 時制 (cmn), 时制 (cmn) (shízhì)

• Czech: čas (cs) m, slovesný čas (cs) m
• Dutch: tijd (nl) m, tempus (nl) n
• Estonian: ajavorm (et), aeg (et), tempus (et)
• Faroese: tíð (fo) f
• Finnish: aikaluokka (fi), aikamuoto (fi), tempus (fi)
• French: temps (fr) m
• Georgian: დრო (ka) (dro)
• German: Zeit (de) f, Tempus (de) n

• Greek: χρόνος (el) (chrónos) m 
• Icelandic: tíð (is) f
• Italian: tempo (it) m
• Japanese: 時制 (じせい, jisei)
• Jèrriais: temps du vèrbe m
• Latin: tempus (la) n
• Macedonian: време (mk) (vréme) n
• Polish: czas (pl) m
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: время (ru) (vrémja) n 
• Spanish: tiempo (es) m
• Swedish: tempus (sv) n
• Telugu: కాలము (te)
• Turkish: zaman (tr)

Verb

tense (third-person singular simple present tenses, present participle tensing, simple past and past participle tensed)

1. (grammar, transitive) To apply a tense to.

   tensing a verb

Etymology 2

From Latin tensus, past participle of tendere (“stretch”).

Adjective

tense (comparative tenser, superlative tensest)

1. Showing signs of stress or strain; not relaxed.

   You need to relax, all this overtime and stress is making you tense.

2. Pulled taut, without any slack.

Derived terms

• hypertense

Translations

showing stress or strain

• Afrikaans: gespanne, styf
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 緊 (cmn), 紧 (cmn) (jǐn), 緊張 (cmn), 紧张 (cmn) (jǐnzhāng)

• Czech: napjatý (cs) m
• Dutch: gespannen (nl), strak (nl)
• Estonian: pingne (et), pinev (et)
• Finnish: kireä (fi), jännittynyt (fi), hermostunut (fi)
• French: tendu (fr)
• German: gespannt (de)

• Greek: τεταμένος (el) (tetaménos) m 
• Hungarian: feszült (hu)
• Icelandic: upptrekktur (is), órólegur (is)
• Japanese: 緊張した (ja) (きんちょうした, kinchō shita)
• Macedonian: напнат (mk) (nápnat)
• Russian: напряжённый (ru) (naprjažónnyj) 
• Spanish: tenso (es)
• Swedish: spänd (sv)

pulled taut

• Estonian: pinguletõmmatud (et)
• Finnish: kireä (fi), jännitetty (fi)
• German: gespannt (de)

• Greek: τεντωμένος (el) (tentoménos) m 
• Russian: тугой (ru) (tugój) , натянутый (ru) (natjánutyj) 

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Georgian: დაძაბული (ka) (dajabuli) 

Verb

tense (third-person singular simple present tenses, present participle tensing, simple past and past participle tensed)

1. To make or become tense.

Translations

make or become tense

• Czech: napnout (cs)
• Dutch: spannen (nl), opspannen (nl)

• Estonian: pinguldama (et), pingulduma (et)
• Finnish: jännittää (fi) (make tense), jännittyä (fi) (become tense)

Anagrams

• Enets
• sente
• teens

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Latin

Participle

tense

1. vocative masculine singular of tensus

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Spanish

Verb

tense (infinitive tensar)

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of tensar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of tensar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of tensar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of tensar.