Verb Aspect and Mood in Grammar
Verb Aspect
The aspect, like tense, is a characteristic grammatical meaning of the verb. Broadly, it expresses, through various linguistic devices, certain features of the verbal action considered from the speaker’s perspective. Given an action performed by a subject, for example, John [studies] Mathematics, the speaker, in addition to placing the action in the present, past, or future, can refer to it while observing it at its beginning (is starting to study), during its development (is studying), at its completion (studied), in its results (he has studied two subjects of Mathematics), or in its repetition (studies again). This gives rise to different aspectual meanings. The speaker expresses these distinct mechanisms through:
- The use of certain verb forms to express whether the action is seen as finished or not. All compound forms, and also the present perfect simple, indicate the end of the action expressed by the verb (perfective aspect):
John has studied, John had studied, John will have studied. It is assumed that the effect of studying is completed (or terminated) at any given time. The simple forms (except the present perfect simple) are imperfective aspect; that is, they do not mark the end of the action: John studies, John studied, John will study. This opposition of perfective/imperfective is the proper verbal aspect because it is conveyed by the morphemes of tense, mood, and aspect.
- The use of different verb combinations (periphrasis) allows the speaker to express other meanings related to the perspective from which the action is contemplated: recurrence, onset, duration, outcome. In these cases, it is more appropriate to speak of aspectual values.
Do not confuse these two concepts (verbal aspect and aspectual values of the periphrasis) with a third, lexical character that depends on the very meaning of the verb. Verbs are called telic or punctual if their meaning includes the completion of an action or process, for example, die, arrive, leave, etc. Others, called permanent or durative, describe an action or process that takes place over time, like walk, fear, shine, etc. Others, called inchoative, signify an action or state that is beginning, such as bloom, fall asleep, etc. And others, finally, denote a habitual action (common: to address informally, to limp…) or one that consists of regularly repeated acts (iterative: to chime, to hammer, to pump…). All these distinctions of the meaning of the verb itself constitute what is called mode of action, which, as we said, should not be confused with the aspect of verb forms (perfective/imperfective) or with the values provided by aspectual periphrasis.
Verb Mood
Like tense and aspect, mood is exclusive to verbs. It reports the speaker’s attitude regarding the process or verbal action, which can be viewed in three ways:
As real, as factual, or conceived as real; that is, existing or of certain existence for the speaker. This is the indicative mood.
John arrived this morning (the speaker considers John’s arrival certain).
As something virtual, possible, whether its realization is effective or not. The verbal action or process exists in the speaker’s mind, who represents this attitude of doubt, desire, fear, etc. This is the subjunctive mood.
I wish John had arrived this morning! (It is not certain for the speaker that he has arrived; what is expressed is a desire).
Maybe John arrived this morning (it is not certain that he has arrived; what is expressed is doubt).
However, the use of the subjunctive mood is conditioned by other factors. In subordinate clauses, it may be required by the syntactic construction, regardless of the speaker’s attitude. Thus, verbs of desire, request, or command require that the verb in the subordinate clause appear in the subjunctive: I want you to call me, Please listen to me. The subordinate must also always appear in the subjunctive: I’ll tell you so you know. In other cases, the use of the indicative or subjunctive depends on whether the main verb is negated or not: I think he will arrive on time / I don’t think he will arrive on time.
As a command or exhortation. This is the imperative mood:
Come here right now. Look at how beautiful this house is.
The imperative mood is typical of statements with a conative function.