先识字再学语法：英语中没有将来时态（English Has No Future Tense）

 

不认识“future tense”，学习“将来时态”毫无意义。

future tense n.[语法]将来式（时）、将来时态：表示将来时的动词时态

 

future[5fju:tFE]n.未来, 将来, 前途, 远景（fut+ure）

-ure名词后缀，表“由……而来”，去掉结尾的-e就成了相应的法语和德语单词：

【法语】futur [fytyr]futur,-e a. 将来的，未来的 m. 将来，未来；[语]将来时n. 未婚夫，未婚妻

【德语】Futur  [das] [语]将来时future tense

也就是说，您如果掌握了英语中的future，也就已经实际上掌握了法语中的futur和德语中的Futur（注：德语中所有名词首字母均大写）。

 

tense[tens]adj.紧张的, 拉紧的v.(使)紧张, (使)拉紧n.[语法]时态

我相信，已经掌握ten的小朋友再记忆tense一定不难。

应该说，英语中实际上有两个tense，一个是作名词后缀，表“时态”，它是源自拉丁语的tempus（时间）。另一个是作形容词或动词使用，源自拉丁语的拉丁语 tēs，tendere的过去分词 [拉紧]。

【拉丁语】tempus 1：tempus, tempi n. m. weather;

【拉丁语】tempus 2：tempus, temporis n. n. time, condition, right time; season, occasion; necessity;

-us是拉丁语表“阳性、单数”后缀

拉丁语中有两个tempus，一个表“时间”，一个表“天气”。

【拉丁语】tendo 1：tendo, tendere, tetendi, tensus v. stretch/spread/extend; distend; aim/direct weapon/glance/steps/course; strive;

【拉丁语】tendo 2：tendo, tendere, tetendi, tensus v. |pitch tent, encamp; pull tight; draw (bow); press on, insist; exert oneself;

【拉丁语】tendo 3：tendo, tendere, tetendi, tentus v. stretch/spread/extend; distend; aim/direct weapon/glance/steps/course; strive;

【拉丁语】tendo 4：tendo, tendere, tetendi, tentus v. |pitch tent, encamp; pull tight; draw (bow); press on, insist; exert oneself;

拉丁语中有4个tendere（-ere是拉丁语动词不定式后缀之一）

 

关于什么是“时态”，一直有争论。

西方语言中的“时态”一般是指：通过动词变化词尾表达时间上的“现在、过去、将来”。

In grammar, tense is a category that locates a situation in time, to indicate when the situation takes place.^{[1][note 1]}

 

Tense is the grammaticalisation of time reference, often using three basic categories of "before now", i.e. the past; "now", i.e. the present; and "after now", i.e. the future.

i.e.[5ai5i:][拉]=id est

友情提示：我们学习英语的目的是为了应用而不是为了“研究”。我以为，学习英语的最低要求是能读懂英语报纸。

 

建议大概地读一读下面的文章。您可以使用词典，这样就不会有“生词”的担心。这篇英语文章总共只有1千多个单词，就算全部都是生词，从头学起也用不了多少时间。

您也可以查看英语语法教材，这样也可能就不会有“语法”上的担心。如果允许使用词典，也可以查看语法教材，依然读不懂，请认真反思一下自己的学习方法。

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English Has No Future Tense

Daunna Minnich

 

 will is future tense isn't it? No!

 

For generations, English teachers have drilled their students in the notion that English grammar has three verb tenses: past, present and future.

一代又一代，英语老师告诉学生们：英语中有三种动词时态——现在、过去、将来。

 

Rubbish! 垃圾！

rubbish[5rQbiF]n.垃圾, 废物, 废话（rub+b+ish）

radish[5rAdiF]n.[植]萝卜(rad+ish)

 

English has two tenses, past and present.

英语有两种时态：现在和过去。

 

The idea of an English future tense seems to have arisen from false analogy with Latin, which does have one.

英语中关于“将来时态”的看法似乎是源自对拉丁语的错误类推。拉丁语中真的有将来时态。

analogy[E5nAlEdVi]n.类似, 类推（ana+log+y）

源自 拉丁语 analogia, 源自 希腊语 analogos [成比例的]

analogous[E5nAlE^Es]adj.类似的, 相似的, 可比拟的(ana+log+ous)

ana- [根据], loguos源自logos [比例]

联想记忆：

anatomy[E5nAtEmi]n.剖析, 解剖学（ana+tom+y）

tom表“切”，源自希腊语，请复习atom（原子，a-是否定前缀）和源自拉丁语的sect和英语中的cut相当。请复习section, insect。

 

 

But what about "will" you say. “will”是什么？

"Will" is future tense, isn't it? 难道“will”不是“将来时”吗？

 

No! Certainly we sometimes use "will" to talk about future time, but time and tense are not to be equated.

will是动词的“现在式”而不是“将来式”。

 “时间”和语言中的“动词时态”并不能看着同一个东西。

 

 

Prove the difference to yourself - think about the time conveyed in the following sentences:

您可以自己证明它们的不同。想一想下面句子中的“时间”。

 

1. Hurry! The train leaves in five minutes.

2. Lisa can't watch TV until her grades improve.

3. When is the last day to register to vote?

4. She's going have a baby.

5. We're having pizza for dinner!

 

All of the preceding sentences describe future events, events that may occur in a few minutes, a few hours, or perhaps several months from the moment of speaking - yet you didn't see a single "will" in any of them.

这些句子谈的都是“将来”，但没有一个用到“will”。

 

All of them are in some form of the present tense.

它们全都是“现在时态”。

 

Now take a look at these sentences and determine the time frame:

time frame  期限, 时帧

 

6. Will you please pass the salt?

7. A lion will attack only if it's hungry.

8. No matter what, John just won't listen to anything I say.

9. The game will be finished by now.

 

Deciding the "when" of these sentences is a little problematic.

 

Although they all contain "will," it's hard to make a good case that these sentences refer to future time.

 

We could argue that sentence 6, a request, talks about the very immediate future; but we could just as easily have said: "Please pass the salt."

 

With or without "will," the same time is intended.

 

The use of "will" is not intended to indicate futurity here; instead it merely softens the request

这里使用“will”只是把语气变得“柔和、缓和”。

 

Sentence 7 states a fact. We might argue that, since it acts as a prediction, futurity is indicated; but I prefer to think of the statement as a timeless occurrence - true in the past, present, or future.