nonpast

Nonpast is a grammatical category used in linguistic typology to designate time relative to the moment of speaking. It marks events that are not located in the past, and in many languages the nonpast covers both present situations and events expected to occur in the future. The term is commonly used in descriptions of tense systems that contrast past with nonpast, rather than with a separate future tense. In some analyses, the nonpast also subsumes habitual or generalized readings that do not specify a single temporal point.

In languages with a two-tense system, nonpast serves as the default against which past forms are distinguished. In languages with a three-way TAM (tense–aspect–mood) inventory, nonpast can be subdivided further to distinguish present and near-future readings, or it can be unified as a single nonpast category that includes several nonpast-time readings. The precise interpretation of nonpast readings is often determined by context and by interactions with aspect and mood.

Morphology and syntax: Nonpast is typically realized through verb inflection, periphrastic constructions, or mood markers. Its realization may involve imperfective or perfective aspect, depending on the language and the intended temporal reading. Some languages mark nonpast with explicit affixes or particles, while others rely on the absence of past marking or on auxiliary constructions.

Distribution and typology: Nonpast is common in languages that distinguish past from nonpast, especially in areal groups with limited tense differentiation. It is not universal; many languages use present and future markers separately rather than a single nonpast category.

See also: past, tense, aspect, mood, TAM.