In Chinese, verbs do not conjugate based on tense. Instead, the language relies on other elements in a sentence to indicate when an action takes place. Chinese frequently uses specific time words and phrases to indicate when an action occurs. While Chinese lacks tenses, it uses aspect particles to indicate the aspect of an action – whether an action is completed, ongoing, or habitual. Modal particles and auxiliary verbs are also sometimes used to add nuance to the timing of actions. In general, while Chinese does not have tenses in the traditional sense, it possesses a rich set of tools to express time and the nature of actions.
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