Aspekto

Aspekto, in the study of Filipino languages such as Tagalog, refers to the aspect of a verb—the viewpoint on the temporal structure of an event from the speaker’s perspective. It is a grammatical category that describes how the action relates to time, rather than pinpointing a specific clock time. In many Philippine languages, aspekto is expressed through verb affixes, reduplication, and other morphological changes, rather than through separate tense forms.

The three commonly cited subtypes of aspekto are perpektibo, imperpektibo, and kontemplatibo. Perpektibo, or the completed aspect, views the action as finished. Imperpektibo, or the imperfective, portrays the action as ongoing, habitual, or not yet completed. Kontemplatibo, or the contemplative/prospective aspect, marks the action as imminent or intended in the future, or viewed with anticipation. These distinctions help speakers convey nuances such as whether an action has been completed, is currently in progress, or is about to happen.

Examples in Tagalog illustrate the contrasts. Kumain ako ng isda expresses a completed action: I ate fish. Kumakain ako ng isda expresses an ongoing or habitual action: I am eating fish (or I eat fish). Kakain ako ng isda expresses a future action: I will eat fish. Beyond these core forms, aspekto interacts with voice and focus systems, so verb conjugations can reflect who is performing the action and what the action affects.

Overall, aspekto is a central concept in understanding how Filipino languages encode temporal meaning through verb morphology and structure rather than solely through tense.