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simple tense

simple tense noun: in English, the tense of a verb which is used specifically in the simple aspect--that is, the verb alone does not indicate whether the action is complete or habitual--and is usually used independently of any auxiliary verbs, with the known exceptions of 'will', 'shall', and 'would'.

Noun

simple tense (plural simple tenses)

  1. In English, the tense of a verb which is used specifically in the simple aspect--that is, the verb alone does not indicate whether the action is complete or habitual--and is usually used independently of any auxiliary verbs, with the known exceptions of 'will', 'shall', and 'would'.
    • Present tense is a simple tense, even when used in complex ways, such as to describe past events.
    • Please use only simple tenses in titles when submitting articles to our publication.

Forms of simple tense

pluralsimple tenses

Questions about simple tense

What does simple tense mean?
Simple tense means in English, the tense of a verb which is used specifically in the simple aspect--that is, the verb alone does not indicate whether the action is complete or habitual--and is usually used independently of any auxiliary verbs, with the known exceptions of 'will', 'shall', and 'would'.
What part of speech is simple tense?
Simple tense is a noun.
What is the plural of simple tense?
The plural of simple tense is simple tenses.

Words near simple tense in the dictionary

  1. Simple Simons
  2. simple squamous epithelium
  3. simple sugar
  4. simple syrup
  5. simple syrups
  6. simple tense
  7. simple tenses
  8. simple time
  9. simple-hearted
  10. simple-heartedly
  11. simple-heartedness

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: simple tense (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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