noun
tense
A grammatical category indicating when an action or state occurs.
The tense of a verb shows when an action happens.
Etymology
The French source means time. Grammar uses the borrowed word for forms that locate an action or state in time.
More examples
- We use the past tense to describe yesterday's trip.
- She tells the whole story in the present tense.
- The teacher asks us to identify the verb tenses.
Forms
tense · tenses
conjugation noun — The different grammatical forms of a verb.