Verb: tense
The
immediate expression of grammatical time, or "tense" (Lat.
tempus),
is one of the typical functions of the finite verb. It is typical
because the meaning of process, inherently embedded in the verbal
lexeme, finds its complete realisation only if presented in certain
time conditions. That is why the expression or non-expression of
grammatical time, together with the expression or non-expression of
grammatical mood in person-form presentation, constitutes the basis
of the verbal category of finitude, i.e. the basis of the division of
all the forms of the verb into finite and non-finite.