Chapter 2. The future needs the present

Our core words, be, have, and do, have the word shape “will” in the field for the grammatical FUTURE. Let us make a picture.

In our FUTURE field, we can say we will be, will have, or will do, but how could we envision the word will on its own?

We may compare it for all our fields of time.

We do not say for the word “will” itself,
*will will.

There is no standard word shape to place in our FUTURE field, for the verb form “will”. Let us think, why.

As we noted in ■CHAPTER 1, humans have evolved grammars along with perception for three-dimensional space. There never has been really at hand, and there is not today either, any fourth or time only dimension, to make language.

The real time we people live in is always our PRESENT.

We can make predictions on the real-time future, but we never can really move into it, as there hardly would be a way to take our space with us: well, our dimensional bodies?

We use PRESENT grammatical forms to talk about the future, and “will” is one of those forms we can use to map cognitively, in our minds, on the real-time future.

Spring Flowing Colors

Everyday life allows quite exact predictions, as for one person, or a family, or a group of people, if people go to school or work. It is owing to this living experience that we have standard language uses where the verb form “will”, grammatically a PRESENT shape, maps on the real-time future.

In human living experience as well, the future is yet predictable only to an extent, because it all the time takes on form or becomes in our Present, and there is always more than one factor to this. Further, we probably would not say that human lives sum up to a number, as human time on Earth is not merely an equation. In a degree, the Future is an open context, we can reckon. The Extras have some more talk about ■LANGUAGE FORM and ■VERBS.

Let us compare all our core words
for the PRESENT, PAST, and FUTURE.

Our core words are verbs. A verb is a word saying what we do, what others do, or what happens. Time to exercise our language natures (!)
■2.1. MORE WORDS IN THE FIELDS OF TIME

■This text is also available in Polish.

2.1. More words in the Fields

Verbs give us three fields and — three forms of the verb. Forms are not the same as fields. We begin with simple practice on forms first and second, consciously to choose focus on the shape of the verb or the field. We exercises in mind, to strengthen good habits for thought. ■More

by Teresa Pelka August 13, 2013June 13, 2024

Language form, as with cats and dogs

Different languages have different ways to name objects of thought. We can say a dog in English; in German ein Hund, in French un chien, in Greek σκυλος, and in Russian собака — whereas at the same time and in all languages, a picture of a cat is not a cat. ■More

by Teresa Pelka August 10, 2013May 22, 2025

Appendix 1. Verbs and what they do

Verbs tell activities, faculties, or states, as to think, to work, or to be. They may do this in four Aspects, the Simple, Progressive, Perfect, and Perfect Progressive; intransitive or dynamic, in infinitives or participles — where Modals are exception in much, and yet legitimate verbs of a frame. ■More

by Teresa Pelka March 12, 2024July 14, 2024

Book format in preparation.

In the first part of the language journey, feel welcome to consider a picture for
■ the grammatical Past, Present, and Future;
■ the Simple, Progressive, and Perfect;
■ infinitive, auxiliary, and head verb forms;
■ the Affirmative, Interrogative, Negative, and Negative Interrogative;
■ irregular verbs and vowel patterns: high and low, back and front.
Third edition, 2025.