Definition of tense - Reverso English Dictionary
Adjective
1.
emotion or situationfeeling or causing nervousness or stress
- Everyone felt tense before the big exam.
2.
tensionpulled taut without any slack
- The rope was tense and ready for climbing.
3.
linguisticsTECH. pronounced with tight tongue musclesTECH.
- The vowel in 'beat' is tense.
Noun
linguisticsTECH. grammatical category expressing time distinctionsTECH.
- English has three main tenses: past, present, and future.
Verb
1.
bodytr. make muscles tight and stifftr.
- She tensed her muscles before the jump.
2.
stateintr. become tight or strainedintr.
- His body tensed as he heard the noise.
3.
emotiontr. cause to feel nervous or anxioustr.
- The news tensed everyone in the room.
4.
linguisticstr. TECH. mark a verb to show when the action happenstr. TECH.
- The teacher tensed the verb correctly in the sentence.
Expressions with tense
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become nervous or anxious
She always tenses up during interviews.
grammatical form showing action happened before now
She used the past tense to describe her trip.
tense showing action happening now
The present progressive tense shows actions happening right now.
grammatical tense showing actions happening now
She writes in the present tense.
verb tense showing ongoing action
She explained the continuous tense during the English lesson.
verb form indicating future actions or events
In English, 'will' is used for the future tense.
verb form showing past action linked to the present
She explained the perfect tense clearly in today's grammar lesson.
tense indicating action that started in the past and continues now
The present perfect tense shows actions that started in the past.
verb form indicating a condition or hypothetical situation
If I were you, I would use the conditional tense here..
tense for actions ongoing in the past
The past progressive tense shows actions that were happening yesterday afternoon.
verb tense showing action not continuous and without auxiliary verbs
The simple tense is used in 'She walks to school.'.
tense showing action completed before a future time
By next year, she will have mastered the future perfect tense.
grammatical tense showing action completed before another past action
The past perfect tense shows actions completed before another past event.
verb tense showing ongoing action in the future
The future progressive tense shows ongoing action that will happen tomorrow.
verb tense showing past ongoing or incomplete actions
The imperfect tense describes actions that were ongoing in the past.
tense showing completed action
In English, 'I have eaten' is perfective tense.
tense showing action completed before another past action
In "had left," "had" marks the pluperfect tense.
verb tense indicating ongoing or continuous action
She is studying for her exams in the progressive tense..
study of logical properties of tense operators
Tense logic helps analyze time-related expressions in sentences.
Origin of tense
Latin, tensus (stretched)
Terms with tense included in their meaning
💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
grammar
used with 'I' to form present continuous tense
linguistics
forming questions in the past tense
negation
forming negative sentences in the past tense
negatives
forming negative sentences in the present tense
linguistics
forming questions in the present tense
negation
negates actions or states in present simple tense with he, she, it
grammar
used to make negative statements with plural subjects in present tense
continuous tense
used to show ongoing actions or states with they
emotion
calm down or become less tense
linguistics
forming past continuous tense
grammar
used to form past continuous tense with plural subjects
language
past tense of tear, to make an opening
language
used to make negative past tense statements with plural subjects
mental strain
makes you feel worried, tense, or under pressure
receiver pattern
forming passive voice in past tense
relaxation
become less tense or more relaxed
nervousness
feeling tense or nervous due to uncertainty
close call
expresses relief after a tense situation
linguistics
verb that forms past tense with -ed
feeling calm
making you feel calm, comfortable, or less tense
process
the act of becoming less tense or more at ease
loose
not tight or tense
physical
become rigid or tense physically
stressful mood
nervous and tense in demeanor
Examples of tense in a sentence
His voice was tense during the testimony. Her muscles were tense from the workout. The atmosphere was tense with anticipation. The tense vowel sound is hard to master. Linguists study tense vowels in different languages. Tense is crucial in verb conjugation.
Different languages have varying numbers of tenses. He tensed his shoulders when the alarm sounded. Try not to tense your jaw during the examination. She could feel her muscles tense before the race. The atmosphere in the room tensed as the argument escalated. The unexpected question tensed the interviewee. His harsh words tensed the atmosphere. She learned how to tense verbs in French class. It's important to tense the verb accurately in translation.
View all translations of tense
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:tendu, temps, ...
- German:angespannt, Zeitform, ...
- Italian:teso, tempo, ...
- Spanish:tenso, tiempo, ...
- Portuguese:tenso, tempo verbal, ...
- Chinese:紧张的, 时态, ...
- Japanese:緊張した, 時制, ...
- Arabic:مُتَوَتِّر, زَمَن, ...
- Hebrew:מָתוּחַ, זְמַן דִּקְדּוּקִי, ...
- Russian:напряжённый, время, ...
- Ukrainian:напружений, час, ...
- Hindi:तनावग्रस्त, काल, ...
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