Time adjuncts

Adjunct	Form	Typical tense/aspect compatibility	Example
afterwards / subsequently	AdvP	past, present, future	They left afterwards.
again / repeatedly	AdvP	all tenses/aspects	She called repeatedly.
already	AdvP	present perfect, past perfect, present, past	They have already finished.
always / usually / often / sometimes / rarely / never	AdvP	all tenses/aspects	I often walk to work.
annually / monthly / weekly / daily	AdvP	all tenses/aspects	The report is published annually.
at 5 o’clock / at noon / at midnight	PP	present, past, future	The train arrives at 5 o’clock.
before the meeting / after lunch	PP	all tenses/aspects	We spoke after lunch.
beforehand / previously	AdvP	past, present perfect, past perfect	We had discussed it previously.
by tomorrow / by Friday	PP	future perfect, present perfect, past perfect	She will have finished by tomorrow.
during the meeting / throughout the day	PP	all tenses/aspects	She remained silent during the meeting.
early / late	AdvP	all tenses/aspects	They finished the report early.
eventually / finally / ultimately	AdvP	especially past, future	He eventually agreed.
every day / each year / every few months	NP	all tenses/aspects	They meet every day.
for two hours / for several years	PP	especially perfect/progressive; also past/future	She has been working for two hours.
from Monday to Friday / from June onwards	PP	present, past, future	The office is open from Monday to Friday.
immediately / shortly	AdvP	all tenses/aspects	He responded immediately.
in the morning / afternoon / evening	PP	all tenses/aspects	We met in the morning.
in two weeks / in a few days	PP	especially future; also present/past with suitable interpretation	She will return in two weeks.
last week / last year / next month	NP	past for past-time expressions; present/future for future-time expressions	She arrived last week.
lately / recently	AdvP	especially present perfect, past perfect, present/past	She has recently started.
now	AdvP	present, present progressive; past/future with shifted reference	We are leaving now.
once / twice / three times	AdvP	all tenses/aspects	She called twice.
once a week / twice a year	AdvP	all tenses/aspects	They meet twice a year.
on Monday / on Christmas Day	PP	all tenses/aspects	We met on Monday.
previously / earlier	AdvP	past, present perfect, past perfect	We had met earlier.
since last week / since 2020	PP	especially present perfect / present perfect progressive; past perfect with past reference point	She has lived here since 2020.
soon / shortly	AdvP	especially present/future; also past	He will arrive soon.
still	AdvP	all tenses/aspects	He is still sleeping.
then	AdvP	all tenses/aspects, with context-dependent reference time	She spoke then.
this morning / this week / that evening	NP	present/past depending on deictic/anaphoric reference	We met that evening.
three days ago / two weeks later	NP	especially past / past perfect	He left three days ago.
today / yesterday / tomorrow	AdvP	present/past/future according to the expression	I’ll call you tomorrow.
until Friday / until the end of the month	PP	all tenses/aspects, depending on temporal perspective	She will stay until Friday.
when she arrived / while he was working	finite clause	compatible with tense/aspect of the matrix clause; temporal relation determines choice	When she arrived, we started.
whenever he visits / every time she calls	finite clause	all tenses/aspects, according to habitual/iterative interpretation	Whenever he visits, we talk.
before leaving / after finishing	non-finite clause	compatible with matrix tense; temporal relation is expressed by the construction	After finishing, she left.
while waiting for the train	non-finite clause	especially progressive/ongoing matrix situations	While waiting for the train, she read.

Note

The compatability column should be read as compatibility, not strict licensing

Adjunct → establishes a temporal relation → tense/aspect is chosen to represent that relation.

Adjunct does not determine the tense/aspect by itself.

“yesterday” establishes a temporal frame: the relevant time is yesterday. But several tense/aspect choices can represent a situation in relation to that frame:

She left yesterday. (event located in yesterday)

She was working yesterday. (ongoing situation during yesterday)

By the time I arrived yesterday, she had left. (yesterday is the day containing the reference point “when I arrived”, that he leaving occured before it)

She may have left yesterday. (possibility of an event located in yesterday)

So the relationship is:

• Temporal adjunct: Gives the temporal frame/relation

• Tense/aspect: Determines how the situation is located or viewed within that frame

• The tense/aspect chosen to represent a relation: The speaker chooses the tense/aspect according to the intended temporal relationship; the adjunct itself doesn’t make that choice.