Verb Tenses within the Indicative Mood: Evolution and Nuances of Meaning

In this course we will explore the values and meanings (temporal, aspect, and modal) of the verb forms or tenses of the indicative mood. We will discuss the general rules governing tense use, studying the oppositions that are set up at the level of paradigm or general system, within the Spanish language (habitual present, historical present, “future” present, for example, or the distinctions between various past tenses). In addition, wherever possible we will ascertain the particular systematic values that some verb forms acquire, in particular dialects or varieties of Spanish—for example, in American Spanish versus European Spanish. (1 unit)

Required texts: José G. Moreno de Alba, Estudios sobre los tiempos verbales (Mexico: Instituto de Investigaciones Filológicas, Universidad Autónoma de México, 2003); José G. Moreno de Alba, Valores de las formas verbales en el español de México, 2nd. ed. (Mexico: Instituto de Investigaciones Filológicas, Universidad Autónoma de México, 1986).