• Dutch
  • Frisian
  • Saterfrisian
  • Afrikaans
Show all
Irrealis simple present and simple past
quickinfo

The present tense of the irrealis refers to a hypothetical situation which is possible in the present or the future, though improbable. It can be expressed in two ways. Either the simple past of the main verb is used, or the past tense of the auxiliary sille shall is used in tandem with the infinitive of the main verb.

readmore

The present tense is used for irrealis situations which are probable. The past tense is used to refer to situations which are either improbable or impossible. The irrealis interacts with conditionality, with the future and with modality in intricate ways. We provide an example of a realis conditional featuring the simple present below:

1
As er my freget, doch ik it
if he me asks do i it
If he asks me, I'll do it

The example above is a conditional which is semantically in the future. The future is expressed by the morphology of the simple present, and so the sentence above is in the simple present. English, in contrast, features a simple present in the if-clause, and it features the modal auxiliary of the future in the then-clause.

The simple past can be used for a condition which is improbable, but theoretically possible, as shown in (2):

2
At se my trainer fan Cambuur makken, stelde ik fuort Barto op
if they me trainer of Cambuur made selected I directly Barto up
If they made me trainer of Cambuur, I would immediately select Barto for the lineup

Alternatively, the same meaning can be expressed by the past tense of the verb sille shall:

3
At se my trainer fan Cambuur meitsje soene, soe ik fuort Barto opstelle
if they me trainer of Cambuur made should should I directly Barto select
If they made me trainer of Cambuur, I would immediately select Barto for the lineup

Furthermore, it is possible to combine these two ways of expressing the irrealis present in a conditional construction:

4
a. At se my trainer fan Cambuur makken, soe ik fuort Barto opstelle
if they me trainer of Cambuur made should I directly Barto select
If they made me trainer of Cambuur, I would immediately select Barto for the lineup
b. At se my trainer fan Cambuur meitsje soene, stelde ik fuort Barto op
if they me trainer of Cambuur made should select I directly Barto up
If they made me trainer of Cambuur, I would immediately select Barto for the lineup
References
    printreport errorcite