present tense

See also: present-tense

English

Noun

present tense (plural present tenses)

1. (grammar): Present tense is the form of language used to refer to an event, transaction, or occurrence which is happening now (or at the present time), or an object that currently exists. Compare with past tense, which is the form of language used to refer to an event, transaction, or occurrence that did happen or has happened, or an object that existed, at a point in time before now; or with future tense, an event, transaction or occurrence that has not yet happened, is expected to happen in the future, or might never happen.

   "Has the #5 bus arrived yet?" "Yeah, you didn't make it." (past tense)

   "The bus is too far away. I can’t make it." (present tense)

   "I see the #5 bus across the street. I won’t make it." (future tense)

Synonyms

• present

Derived terms

Derived terms

• dramatic present tense
• historical present tense
• historic present tense

• narrative present tense
• present historic tense

Translations

form of language

• Albanian: koha e tashme
• Azeri: indiki zaman
• Bashkir: хәҙерге заман (xäðerge zaman)
• Belarusian: цяперашні час m (cjapérašni čas)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 現在時態, 现在时态 (xiànzài shítài), 現在時 (zh), 现在时 (zh) (xiànzàishí)

• Chuvash: хальхи вăхăт (halʹhi văhăt)
• Crimean Tatar: şimdiki zaman
• Czech: přítomný čas m
• Dutch: tegenwoordige tijd (nl) m
• Estonian: olevik (et)
• Finnish: preesens (fi)
• French: présent (fr)
• Georgian: აწმყო (ac̣mq̇o)
• German: Gegenwart (de) f, Präsens (de) n
• Greek: ενεστώτας (el) m (enestótas)
• Hebrew: לשון הוה‎ m (l'shón hové)
• Hungarian: jelen idő
• Icelandic: nútíð (is) f
• Ido: prezento (io)
• Italian: presente indicativo m
• Japanese: 現在時制 (genzai jisei), 現在形 (ja) (genzaikei)
• Kalmyk: өдгә цаг (ödgä tsag)
• Kazakh: осы шақ (osı şaq)
• Korean: 현재 시제 (ko) (hyeonje sije) (現在時制)
• Kumyk: гьалиги заман (haligi zaman)
• Kyrgyz: учур чак (uçur çak)
• Latin: tempus praesens, praesens (la)
• Latvian: tagadnes laiks m
• Lithuanian: esamasis laikas (lt) m
• Low German:

  German Low German: Präsens (nds), Nutiet

• Navajo: tʼáhdii
• Nogai: аьлиги заман (äligi zaman)
• Norman: présent m
• Persian: حال‎ (fa) (hâl)
• Polish: czas teraźniejszy (pl) m
• Portuguese: presente (pt) m
• Romanian: prezent (ro) n, timpul prezent n def. form, timpurile prezent n pl def. form
• Russian: настоя́щее вре́мя (ru) n (nastojáščeje vrémja)
• Scottish Gaelic: tràth làthaireach m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: презент m

  Roman: prezent (sh) m

• Shor: амдығы тем (amdığı tem)
• Slovak: prítomný čas m
• Slovene: sedanjik m
• Southern Altai: тургуза ӧй (turguza öy)
• Spanish: presente (es)
• Swedish: presens (sv)
• Tagalog: pangkasalukuyan (tl), nagaganap
• Tatar: хәзерге заман (tt) (xäzerge zaman)
• Telugu: వర్తమానకాలము (te) (vartamānakālamu)
• Turkish: şimdiki (tr)
• Turkmen: häzirki zaman
• Tuvan: амгы үе (amgı üyä)
• Udmurt: али дыр (ali dyr)
• Ukrainian: теперішній час (uk) m (tepérišni čas)
• Uzbek: hozirgi zamon
• Walloon: tins prezintrece m
• West Frisian: notiid (fy)
• Yakut: билиҥҥи кэм (biliŋŋi kem)

See also

• be, is, was
• present continuous