# future tense



## vince

People say that Chinese languages don't have tense, but I am not so sure, could someone clarify this?

As an example of a Chinese language, in Cantonese, don't you just use the word 會 before the verb? Then 會 is just a modal, like English "will", no? So wouldn't this qualify as a compound tense?

e.g. 我會講英文 (ngo wui gong jingman) = I will speak English

(In Mandarin / Written Chinese, I believe this sentence also means "I can speak English", read as "wo hui jiang yingwen")

Then in Cantonese, you can express continuous aspect through particles like 緊, e.g. 佢食緊乜? (what is he eating), compare with 佢食乜? which I think means "What does he eat".

There's also a progressive aspect (not exactly sure about the difference between this and the continuous aspect above), with V + 住.

e.g. 你望住 我呀? (Are you looking at me?)

Then you've got perfective past like V + 咗: 佢返咗屋企嘞 (He came back home)
or completive past with V +  完:                      你睇 完未? (You finished watching yet?)

The only fuzzy thing is that the continuous and progressive aspects can be made into past and future tense by adding words like 琴日 ("yesterday") or 聽日 ("tomorrow").

But are there instances where 會 is used to describe past events and 咗 used to describe future events?

I don't mean things like "聽日你食咗嘢時候" (tomorrow when you have eaten), where even English uses the past tense.http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/676/

Cantonese-speakers, please correct my Cantonese if there are mistakes.


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## Aoyama

No,会　(simplified version, I can't find the old version on my PC), just means "to know" or "to be able to", as you said for mandarin.
Future will be formed with 要　in front the verb, past with　了　at the end of the verb.


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## jokker

vince said:
			
		

> People say that Chinese languages don't have tense, but I am not so sure, could someone clarify this?


Yes, Chinese languages don't have tense, as far as I know.



> As an example of a Chinese language, in Cantonese, don't you just use the word 會 before the verb? Then 會 is just a modal, like English "will", no? So wouldn't this qualify as a compound tense?
> 
> e.g. 我會講英文 (ngo wui gong jingman) = I will speak English
> 
> (In Mandarin / Written Chinese, I believe this sentence also means "I can speak English", read as "wo hui jiang yingwen")


I know nothing about Chinese "grammar".

"我會講英文" is, as you said, more like "I *can* speak English." or "I speak English."

----
Example:
I will go to America next year.
我(打算/計畫)明年要去美國.

In the sentence above, we have to use "will" to express a future plan, but in Chinese we can just say "go to + next year" to express a future plan, no auxiliary verb is needed.

Just my two cents. I just would like to say, 'Yes, Chinese doesn't have tenses as English does.'


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## vince

Yes but 會 primarily means "will" (future) in Cantonese.

My example is Cantonese, not Written Chinese & Mandarin. Although I am not fluent, I do know enough Cantonese to know that 我會講英文 does NOT mean "I can speak English". I've been taught and have only heard 我識講英文.

了 cannot modify verbs in Cantonese, I believe, making it a very rare character despite its ubiquity in Mandarin / Written Chinese.

I wonder if I should request the title of this thread to be "Cantonese: Tenses?" because people seem to be assuming Chinese = Mandarin (Written Chinese) = Chinese and jumping on me for grammatical "errors" that make perfect sense in Standard Cantonese. I know they are just trying to help, and I thank them for that, but I don't think they are getting the point, about tenses in Chinese languages in general.


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## jokker

Aoyama said:
			
		

> No,会　(simplified version, I can't find the old version on my PC), just means "to know" or "to be able to", as you said for mandarin.
> Future will be formed with 要　in front the verb, past with　了　at the end of the verb.


Generally speaking, what you said is correct, but it's not that simple.

However, Chinese future tense is mainly made by time adverb --"tomorrow", "next year", etc. It can also be made, as your example, by "要", "會", "將", "打算", "計畫", etc. 

Just my two cents.


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## vince

Yes, I believe I've heard 会 as "will" in Mandarin too, but its usage in Cantonese as "to be able to" is something I've never heard of.



			
				jokker said:
			
		

> However, Chinese future tense is mainly made by time adverb --"tomorrow", "next year", etc. It can also be made, as your example, by "要", "會", "將", "打算", "計畫", etc.


But you can do that in English too:

"I am coming tomorrow"


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## jokker

vince said:
			
		

> I wonder if I should request the title of this thread to be "Cantonese: Tenses?" because people seem to be assuming Chinese = Mandarin (Written Chinese) = Chinese and jumping on me for grammatical "errors" that make perfect sense in Standard Cantonese. I know they are just trying to help, and I thank them for that, but I don't think they are getting the point, about tenses in Chinese languages in general.


I see. Don't worry, there are some members in the forums who are/speak Cantonese and their English are very good. Wait a moment, I believe you will get help.


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## jokker

vince said:
			
		

> But you can do that in English too:
> 
> "I *am *com*ing* tomorrow"


No, they are different. While "I am coming tomorrow" has used an auxiliary verb(am) and a tense(ing), Chinese, or I should say Mandarin, hasn't.

I believe this is not what you want, so I shall stop and wait others who can really help your questions to discuss with you.


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## MingRaymond

Hi Vince,

It is strange to say 我會講英文 in Cantonese. You are right. You should say 我識講英文. Sometimes 會 is future tense. 
E.g. 媽咪：你而家要做功課喇。(Mother: You should do your homework now.)
     阿仔：我會做咖喇 (Son: I will do it later.)

'But are there instances where 會 is used to describe past events and 咗 used to describe future events?'

No.

Cheers,
Ming


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## vince

Thank you MingRaymond.

That's why I think that 會 and 咗 are essentially tense markers. So why can't we say Cantonese has tenses?



			
				jokker said:
			
		

> No, they are different. While "I am coming tomorrow" has used an auxiliary verb(am) and a tense(ing), Chinese, or I should say Mandarin, hasn't.



I think that is a different issue.  I'll remove the progressive aspect (which is a compound tense in English involving BE + V-ing)

How about: "The book arrives next month"


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## jokker

vince said:
			
		

> How about: "The book arrive*s *next month"


Tense........


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## vince

My point is that "The book arrives today" and "The book arrives tomorrow" that English doesn't necessarily have to invoke a different verb tense to differentiate between present and future events, and that it is the same in at least some Chinese languages.

It is clear that no Chinese languages have verb conjugations (I think) in the way of European languages, that is what I meant by being "a different issue".


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## MingRaymond

I agree with you, vince. I think no Chinese languages have verb conjugations. We add words to indicate the tense. For example: 
I ate two apples.

Cantonese: 我食咗兩個蘋果。
Mandarin: 我吃了兩個蘋果。

Ming


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## Outsider

vince said:
			
		

> My point is that "The book arrives today" and "The book arrives tomorrow" that English doesn't necessarily have to invoke a different verb tense to differentiate between present and future events, and that it is the same in at least some Chinese languages.
> 
> It is clear that no Chinese languages have verb conjugations (I think) in the way of European languages, that is what I meant by being "a different issue".


Linguists often use words like "tense" in a restricted sense, comprising only conjugations. It's in this sense that English does not have a future tense. But of course all languages can talk about the future; they just don't do it the same way.


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## demoore

As lots of characters in chinese 会 has differents meanings. As a noun : meeting, as a verb : to be able, to can.
ex: 我会说法语 I can speak french
But it's also used to indicate the probability in the past.
ex: 我迟早会知道 I will know it sooner or later

Other verbs used to signify an action that will occur :
- 要 (yao) 我要去法国 I will go to France
- 将 (jiang) or 将要 (jiang yao) 我将去法国 I will go to France


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## demoore

I forgot the easiest way to construct future tense in chinese, is just to mention the moment the action will occur:
- 我去法国 I go to France
- 我*明天*去法国 I'll go to France tomorrow (明天=tomorrow)
That's so simple....


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## vince

demoore said:
			
		

> As lots of characters in chinese 会 has differents meanings. As a noun : meeting, as a verb : to be able, to can.
> ex: 我会说法语 I can speak french



I was just pointing out that "我会说法语", although correct in Written Chinese / Mandarin, is not a correct sentence in the Cantonese language.



			
				demoore said:
			
		

> Other verbs used to signify an action that will occur :
> 我要去法国



Doesn't this mean "You must/want to go to France" ?



			
				demoore said:
			
		

> I forgot the easiest way to construct future tense in chinese, is just to mention the moment the action will occur:



As I said, you can do that in English too:
I'm going to France tomorrow


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## demoore

> 我要去法国, Doesn't this mean "You must/want to go to France" ?


Yes, it's a kind of, I "have to", but that can also mean, I "plan to". To express the future, that is maybe not only your own choice.
For example : I will go to France for a business trip. 我要去法国出差.



> As I said, you can do that in English too:
> I'm going to France tomorrow


Because "going to" is has to meaning, two move to a place, but also a mark of future in English.
It's quite the same in french, just using the present tense you still can express past and future by the use of the verb "venir" et "aller".
- Je viens de manger
- Je mange
- Je vais manger

But as you said, for a close future in english, whatever the verb, you can use the present tense.


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