On the specifics of verb tense usage in newspaper headlines (based on contemporary Spanish language material).

Abstract

Aim. The article aims to investigate the functional potential of temporal forms of the Spanish verb using headlines in Spanish-language media. By collecting a representative sample of newspaper headlines and conducting a quantitative analysis of the distribution of verb tenses in the collected corpus, the authors address two key objectives: a qualitative interpretation of the pragmatic role of verb forms and their comparison across two time periods – 2021 and 2025 (data for these periods are being systematized for the first time). The object of study consists of temporal verb forms, analyzed for their role in headlines of contemporary Spanish-language newspaper texts. Methodology. The use of cutting-edge tools for statistical analysis of linguistic material, particularly the AntConc platform, underpins the study's novelty. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary approach combines linguistic analysis with media perception theory, revealing the mechanism by which tenses enhance the reader's emotional presence. The research methodology is based on a continuous sample of Spanish-language headlines from the online versions of the newspapers “20 minutos” and “El País” for 2021 and 2025 (200 and 150 units, respectively), subjected to a stepwise analysis across two time periods to identify the pragmatic role of word forms and analyze their dynamics comparatively. Results. After defining the criteria for selecting the linguistic material, a qualitative, quantitative, and comparative analysis of the collected corpus of headlines was carried out, the results of which allowed us to draw an unambiguous conclusion about the absolute dominance of the grammeme Presente de Indicativo in the meaning of “historical present” for expressing the relevance of an event in both time slices, as well as a significant increase in the use of grammemes Pretérito Perfecto, caused by such processes as globalization and digitalization of the global media space. Furthermore, a complete decline in the use of complex past tenses was noted, indicating a desire to reduce the perception of modern newspaper headlines. Research implications. The obtained results introduce previously undescribed functions of Spanish verb temporal forms in digital communication into the field of scientific discussion, not so much as means of chronologically anchoring a situation, but rather as a pragmatic marker of audience engagement. This provides grounds for reconsidering the traditional notion of the purely grammatical meaning of these indicators and considering time as a mediative resource that ensures a “here and now” effect. It is possible to highlight the prospect of applicability of the two-stage analysis procedure (manual selection and AntConc filtering) to the material of other Romance languages as a tool for operational monitoring of shifts in the grammatical systems of natural languages. The identified preferences (the increase in the frequency of the grammatical expressions Presente and Perfecto, the disappearance of Imperfecto) may prove useful for journalists and editors as an evidence base when creating “clickable” headlines aimed at a multilingual audience. Finally, the list of high-frequency tenses and illustrative examples can be used as teaching materials for courses in translation, media writing and stylistics as a scientifically confirmed current norm of modern Spanish.