Incompletive

Incompletive is a grammatical aspect term used in linguistics to mark non-termination, non-endpoint, or non-punctuality of an event. It is typically considered a subtype or usage within the broader imperfective aspect, contrasting with completive or perfective forms that present an action as finished or bounded in time.

Across languages, incompletive realization varies. Some languages have a dedicated incompletive morpheme or periphrastic construction, while others group incompletive meanings under imperfective without a separate form. Incompletive meanings can include ongoing actions (progressive), habitual or repeated actions, and durative activities where the endpoint is not specified or not relevant. It is often discussed in relation to telicity, the property of having an inherent endpoint, since incompletive forms commonly apply to atelic or boundary-free events.

Examples are language-specific, but the concept can be illustrated with English-style intuition. A sentence like “She is eating” conveys ongoing activity and, in languages with an explicit incompletive, may be analyzed as marking non-termination. By contrast, a completive form would present the action as completed, such as “She ate the entire meal.” Some languages also use incompletive forms to express habitual action, as in “She goes to the market every day,” where the focus is on repetition rather than a single bounded event.

Etymology-wise, the term incompletive derives from Latin incompletus meaning unfinished. See also imperfective, perfective, aspect, and telicity.