one clause. It is common for as many as five verbs to be strung together, sharing the same subject. Here is an example from White Hmong: Tense Because the verb form in Hmong does not change to indicate tense, the simplest way to indicate the time of an event is to use temporal adverb phrases like "last year," "today," or "next week." Here is an example from White Hmong: Aspect Aspectual differences are indicated by a number of verbal modifiers. Here are the most common ones: Progressive: (Mong Leeg) taab tom + verb, (White Hmong) tab tom + verb = situation in progress Taab/tab tom + verb can also be used to indicate a situation that is about to start. That is clearest when taab/tab tom occurs in conjunction with the irrealis marker yuav. Note that the taab tom construction is not used if it is clear from the context that a situation is ongoing or about to begin. Perfective: sentence/clause + lawm = completed situation Lawm at the end of a sentence can also indicate that an action is underway: Another common way to indicate the accomplishment of an action or attainment is by using tau, which, as a main verb, means 'to get/obtain.' It takes on different connotations when it is combined with other verbs. When it occurs before the main verb (i.e. tau + verb), it conveys the attainment or fulfillment of a situation. Whether the situation took place in the past, the present, or the future is indicated at the discourse level rather than the sentence level. If the event took place in the past, tau + verb translates to the past tense in English. Tau is optional if an explicit past time marker is present (e.g. nag hmo, last night). Tau can also mark the fulfillment of a situation in the future: When tau follows the main verb (i.e. verb + tau), it indicates the accomplishment of the purpose of an action. Tau is also common in serial verb constructions that are made up of a verb, followed by an accomplishment: (White Hmong) nrhiav tau, to look for; caum tau, to chase; yug tau, to give birth. Mood Future: yuav + verb: Yuav + verb may also be seen as indicative of the irrealis mood, for situations that are unfulfilled or unrealized. That includes hypothetical or non-occurring situations with past, present, or future time references: