Komplexe Zukünftigkeit und ihre Versprachlichung durch Futur II und Perfekt bzw. passato prossimo im Deutschen und Italienischen

Abstract

The article deals with the expression of the complex future time relation through Futur II vs. Perfekt in German, on which the focus is placed, and through futuro anteriore vs. passato prossimo in Italian in a contrastive perspective.

After contrasting the conditions of use for the different tense forms as described in the reference grammars of both languages, an empirical analysis of the German and Italian translations of 4 English non-fiction books with reference to the future is carried out. The results allow more differentiated statements on the quantitative distribution of the use of Futur II or Perfekt / passato prossimo for the very rare time relation and on a number of factors influencing the choice of tense.