El aspecto y el modo de acción de las perífrasis verbales modales y aspectuales

Abstract

Periphrases are common constructions used in Spanish. These constructions are composed of two main parts, a main verb and a nonfinite verb form, such as the infinitive, the participle or the gerund. Periphrases often carry aspectual meanings or they can change the aktionsart of an event. The aspect and the aktionsart of an event expressed by a periphrasis depend on the nonfinite verb form of the construction. If it’s a participle, the aspect is perfective and the aktionsart can be resultative or terminative, and if the periphrasis contains a gerund, the aspect is imperfective and the aktionsart is durative. However, in the case of periphrases with the infinitive, the aspect and the aktionsart depend on the meaning of the main verb, the tense and the meaning of the periphrasis.