Event Shape / Aspect
Is it ongoing, completed, habitual, repeated, or just starting?
Significato
The internal time shape of an event: in progress, finished, repeated, habitual, started, continued, or result-focused.
Come riconoscerlo
Ask how the event unfolds over time, not just when it happens.
Esempi
still|already|used to|finished|ongoing
is reading|has written|keeps asking
She is writing the letter.
Visual guide
Event = line, aspect = shape start ── writing ── end now: [in progress] She is writing the letter. Ask: ongoing? finished? repeated?
Time vs aspect: WHEN? past / now / future SHAPE? ongoing / done / habitual English: is reading / has written Other languages: verb form, aux, particle, prefix, or context
Panoramica per lingua
Nella tua lingua madre
Aspect is expressed through tense choice and forms such as stare + gerund.
Sta scrivendo la lettera.
She is writing the letter.
Nella tua lingua di studio
In inglese l'aspetto è molto importante: forme progressive, perfect e perfect progressive cambiano il modo in cui l'evento viene presentato.
She has been studying.
has been studying = evento in corso e ancora rilevante
Chi impara spesso confonde forme semplici, progressive e perfect, soprattutto present perfect e simple past.
Same block, different coding
Both languages use this block strongly, but they signal it differently. Focus on form changes, not only meaning.