This was one of those things we said to the kids at wilderness therapy. I’m sure they wanted to cut my eyes out every time.
Staying present is a hard thing to do, but so worthwhile.
Similarly, if you’re mixing up your tenses, or not even adding tenses to your signed conversations you are, in a way, peeing on all your efforts.
If you mix up your tenses, or don’t use them, you are neglecting a vital part of ASL grammar and thus, will have a much weaker message.
Let’s make sure you understand HOW to use tenses correctly and easily.
Many people email asking, how do I say ran? How do I say stopped? How do I say went?
It’s much simpler than you think it is.
There are 3 tenses: past, present, and future. We’ll start with the basic rules for all tenses and then break down the tenses with examples.
2 ways to add tense to your ASL sentences.
1: Put the tense in the beginning of the sentence.
Tense is the TIME portion.
We’ll talk about what time words you can use when we talk about the specific tenses.
2: Put the tense immediately in front of the word it affects.
The tense sign is signed faster and smaller than usual. The sign attached to it is signed immediately after.
You have the time at the beginning of the sentence and it still means the past tense of the word later on.
The TENSE+SIGN is a great method to use if you forget, it’s a longer message and you want to make sure they don’t miss the tense, or if you want to emphasize the tense for other reasons.
These are the signs you use at the beginning of the sentence.
For in front of the word you sign NOW.
How do I say right now in ASL?
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to let go of the need to sign the exact English words you’re trying to say. Instead, sign what you MEAN.
You may have to stop and think, what does this word, or phrase, really mean? What is it really saying?
This will go a long way to help you start thinking IN ASL rather than trying to sign English.
You’ll be peeing on your signing.
What are other lessons you want to learn with ASL grammar?