Tempus

When we want to express that an event took place at a certain point in time, we usually do this in German by using tenses. The simple past in "Paulchen verliess die Stadt" indicates, for example, that Paulchen left the city at a past time. Tense is one of the fundamental means of verbalizing time and therefore a crucial component of human language. Engaging with tense is thus essential for the analysis of natural languages. This textbook provides an introduction to the topic of tense and related categories. No prior knowledge of theoretical semantics and pragmatics is required. Each chapter summarizes the essential core concepts at the end and offers exercises. The volume is suitable as a foundation for courses and for self-study.