What role do tense and aspect play?

**Tense** and **aspect** are grammatical features that provide crucial information about the time and nature of actions or states in language.

1. **Tense**: Indicates the time when an action or state occurs relative to the moment of speaking. Common tenses include:

   - **Past**: Describes events that happened before the present (e.g., "She walked").

   - **Present**: Describes events occurring at the current moment (e.g., "She walks").

   - **Future**: Describes events that will happen (e.g., "She will walk").

2. **Aspect**: Describes the nature of the action or state, particularly regarding its duration, completion, or repetition. Common aspects include:

   - **Perfective**: Focuses on the completion of an action (e.g., "She has walked").

   - **Progressive (or Continuous)**: Emphasizes an ongoing action (e.g., "She is walking").

   - **Habitual**: Describes actions that are habitual or repeated (e.g., "She walks every day").

Together, tense and aspect help convey precise temporal and qualitative details about actions, providing clarity on when and how an action or state unfolds.