Editing Grammatical tense (section)

=== Austronesian languages ===

==== Rapa ====
[[Rapa language|Rapa]] is the French Polynesian language of the island of [[Rapa Iti]].<ref name="Walworth">{{cite book |last1=Walworth |first1=Mary E. |title=The Language of Rapa Iti: Description of a Language In Change. Diss. |date=2015 |publisher=U of Hawaii at Manoa |location=Honolulu |url=http://ling.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/MaryWalworthFinal.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825115109/http://ling.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/MaryWalworthFinal.pdf |archive-date=2015-08-25 |url-status=live |access-date=17 July 2021}}</ref> Verbs in the indigenous Old Rapa occur with a marker known as TAM which stands for tense, aspect, or mood which can be followed by directional particles or [[Deixis|deictic]] particles. Of the markers there are three tense markers called: Imperfective, Progressive, and Perfective. Which simply mean, Before, Currently, and After.<ref name="Walworth"/> However, specific TAM markers and the type of deictic or directional particle that follows determine and denote different types of meanings in terms of tenses.

'''Imperfective:''' denotes actions that have not occurred yet but will occur and expressed by TAM e.<ref name="Walworth"/>

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|e naku mai te 'āikete anana'i
|IPFV come DIR INDEF teacher tomorrow
|'The teacher is coming tomorrow.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|e mānea tō pē'ā ra
|IPFV pretty DEF woman DEIC
|'That woman is beautiful.'}}
<ref name="Walworth"/>

'''Progressive:''' Also expressed by TAM e and denotes actions that are currently happening when used with deictic '''na''', and denotes actions that was just witnessed but still currently happening when used with deictic '''ra'''.<ref name="Walworth"/>

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|e 'āikete na 'ōna i te tamariki
|IPFV learn DEIC 3S ACC INDEF child/children
|'He is teaching some children.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|e kai na ou i kota'i kororio eika
|IPFV eat DEIC 1S ACC one small fish
|'I am eating a small fish.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|e tunu na ou i te mīkaka tonga te pōpongi
|IPFV cook DEIC 1S ACC INDEF taro all INDEF morning
|'I cook taro every morning.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|e kaikai ra te kurī i te moa
|IPFV eat.continuously DEIC INDEF dog ACC INDEF chicken
|'The dog is eating a chicken.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|e mate atu ra 'ōna
|IPFV die DIR DEIC 3S
|'She has just died.'}}
<ref name="Walworth"/>

'''Perfective:''' denotes actions that have already occurred or have finished and is marked by TAM ka.<ref name="Walworth"/>

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|ka ngurunguru te kurī
|PFV growl INDEF dog
|'A dog growled.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|ka tākave tō tangata i te mango
|PFV kill DEF man ACC INDEF shark
|'The man killed the shark.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|ka tunu na ou i te mīkaka tonga te pōpongi
|PFV cook DEIC 1S ACC INDEF taro all INDEF morning
|'I used to cook taro every morning'}}
<ref name="Walworth"/>

In Old Rapa there are also other types of tense markers known as Past, Imperative, and Subjunctive.

'''Past'''

TAM i marks past action. It is rarely used as a matrix TAM and is more frequently observed in past embedded clauses<ref name="Walworth"/>

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|i komo mātou
|PST sleep 1PL.EXCL
|'We slept.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|e a'a koe i 'aka-ineine
|IPFV what 2S PST CAUS-ready
|'What did you prepare?'}}

'''Imperative'''

The imperative is marked in Old Rapa by TAM a. A second person subject is implied by the direct command of the imperative.<ref name="Walworth"/>

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|a naku mai
|IMP come DIR
|'Come here.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|a kai tā-koe eika
|IMP eat INDEF.{{gcl|PossA|possessive a-noun}}-2S fish
|'Eat your fish.'}}

For a more polite form rather than a straightforward command imperative TAM a is used with adverbial kānei. Kānei is only shown to be used in imperative structures and was translated by the French as "please".

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|a rave mai kānei tō mea
|IMP take DIR PREC DEF thing
|'Please take the thing.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|a omono kānei koe tō ka'u ra
|IMP dress PREC 2S DEF clothing DEIC
|'Please dress yourself in those clothes.'}}

It is also used in a more impersonal form. For example, how you would speak toward a pesky neighbor.

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|a naku kānei
|IMP go PREC
|'Please leave now!'}}
'''Subjunctive'''

The subjunctive in Old Rapa is marked by kia and can also be used in expressions of desire<ref name="Walworth"/>

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|kia naku ou i te 'are e kaikai ou
|SBJV come 1S PREP INDEF house IPFV eat.continuously 1S
|'When I get to the house, I will eat.'}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|kia rekareka kōrua
|SBJV happy 2DU
|'May you two be happy.'}}

==== Tokelau ====
The [[Tokelauan language]] is a tenseless language. The language uses the same words for all three tenses; the phrase E liliu mai au i te Aho Tōnai literally translates to Come back / me / on Saturday, but the translation becomes 'I am coming back on Saturday'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tau Gana Tokelau|edition= 1st |date=2017 |url=http://www.learntokelau.co.nz/documents/TauGagana.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303051810/http://www.learntokelau.co.nz/documents/TauGagana.pdf |archive-date=2017-03-03 |url-status=live |website=www.learntokelau.co.nz |publisher=Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs|location=New Zealand}}</ref>

==== Wuvulu-Aua ====
[[Wuvulu-Aua language|Wuvulu-Aua]] does not have an explicit tense, but rather tense is conveyed by mood, aspect markers, and time phrases. Wuvulu speakers use a realis mood to convey past tense as speakers can be certain about events that have occurred.<ref name="Hafford">{{cite book|last1=Hafford|first1=James A|title=Wuvulu Grammar and Vocabulary|date=2014|url=http://www.ling.hawaii.edu/graduate/Dissertations/JamesHaffordDraft.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081022/http://www.ling.hawaii.edu/graduate/Dissertations/JamesHaffordDraft.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=6 March 2017}}</ref> {{rp|89}} In some cases, realis mood is used to convey present tense — often to indicate a state of being. Wuvulu speakers use an irrealis mood to convey future tense.<ref name="Hafford"/>{{rp|90}}
Tense in Wuvulu-Aua may also be implied by using time adverbials and aspectual markings. Wuvulu contains three verbal markers to indicate sequence of events. The preverbal adverbial ''loʔo'' 'first' indicates the verb occurs before any other. The postverbal morpheme ''liai'' and ''linia'' are the respective intransitive and transitive suffixes indicating a repeated action. The postverbal morpheme ''li'' and ''liria'' are the respective intransitive and transitive suffixes indicating a completed action.<ref name="Hafford"/>{{rp|91}}