Phrase guide

perfective aspect

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A feature of the verb which denotes viewing the event the verb describes as a completed whole, rather than from within the event as it unfolds. For example, "she sat down" as opposed to "she was sitting down". Since the focus is on the completion of what is expressed by the verb, this aspect is generally associated with the past and future tenses. This term is often used interchangeably with aorist aspect. This is not to be confused with the perfect tense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the aspect of a verb that expresses a completed action

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perfective

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: aspect

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: зако́нчанае трыва́нне (zakónčanaje tryvánnje) — grammatical term
  • Bulgarian: свъ́ршен вид (svǎ́ršen vid) — grammatical term
  • Chinese Mandarin: 完成體 /完成体 (wánchéngtǐ) — grammatical term
  • Czech: dokonavý vid — grammatical term
  • Finnish: perfektiivinen aspekti — grammatical term
  • French: perfectif — grammatical term
  • Georgian: სრული ასპექტი (sruli asṗekṭi) — grammatical term
  • German: Perfektum — grammatical term
  • Greek: αόριστος (aóristos) — grammatical term
  • Greek: συνοπτική όψη (synoptikí ópsi) — grammatical term
  • Hungarian: befejezett szemlélet/igeszemlélet/aspektus — grammatical term
  • Italian: perfetto — grammatical term
  • Japanese: 完了相 (kanryōsō) — grammatical term
  • Korean: 완료상 (wallyosang) — grammatical term
  • Korean: 완료체 (wallyoche) — grammatical term
  • Latin: perfectum — grammatical term
  • Macedonian: свр́шен вид (svŕšen vid) — grammatical term
  • Polish: aspekt dokonany — grammatical term
  • Portuguese: perfeito — grammatical term
  • Romanian: aspect perfectiv — grammatical term
  • Russian: соверше́нный вид (soveršénnyj vid) — grammatical term
  • Serbo-Croatian: свршени вид — grammatical term
  • Serbo-Croatian: svršeni vid — grammatical term
  • Slovak: dokonavý vid — grammatical term
  • Slovene: dovršnost — grammatical term
  • Spanish: perfecto — grammatical term
  • Swedish: perfektiv aspekt — grammatical term
  • Tagalog: naganap — grammatical term
  • Turkish: bitmişlik görünüşü — grammatical term
  • Ukrainian: доко́наний вид (dokónanyj vyd) — grammatical term
  • Vietnamese: thể hoàn thành — grammatical term