How is grammatical aspect applied in a sentence?

Answer 1

Aspect is a grammatical use of verbs, related to but separate from "tense."

Tense places an event on a time continuum in relation to the time of utterance, whereas the continuum of time for aspectis limited to the construction (the sentence) in question. In this regard, aspect deals with the "view" of an action, how it relates to the present.

This is illustrated in English using separate tenses, helper verbs, and adverbs. The most obvious are the perfect and progressive, aka continuous, tenses.

Compare the sentences:

I eat (present, but indicates habitual rather than present)

I am eating (present progressive)

I have eaten (present perfect) - actually indicates a completed past action

I have been eating (present perfect progressive) - past continuous action

I am about to eat (a form of future action)

I am going to eat (a form of future action)

I eat every day (habitual action)

Various languages may use separate verb forms, or prefixes, or suffixes, to indicate the aspect of an action. In English, the two major categories of aspect are Perfective (activity takes place)and Progressive (also continuous, an activity is still taking place). In certain languages, such as Russian, Hindi, a third category, Imperfective, also exists.

* see the related link to English aspects and their uses

* see the related question for sentences using the word "aspect"

Answer 2

Grammatical aspect in a sentence refers to how the speaker views the action's progress or completion. It can be shown through verb tenses (e.g., present, past, future), verb forms (e.g., continuous, perfect), and other markers that indicate the timing and completeness of an action. By using different aspects, speakers can convey nuances in meaning, such as ongoing actions, completed actions, or repeated actions.