L1 transfer in English acquisition by Chinese-speaking learners: a literature review on tense and aspect markers

Abstract

Fundamental differences exist between the tense-aspect systems of English and Chinese: English primarily expresses temporal meanings through grammatical tense and verbal inflections, whereas Chinese lacks a grammaticalized tense system and relies mainly on aspect markers such as le, zhe, and guo, together with lexical and contextual cues. These differences make L1 transfer a key factor in Chinese learners' acquisition of English tense and aspect. Based on relevant empirical studies, this review examines how Chinese aspect markers influence the acquisition of English tense-aspect forms from the perspectives of language transfer and conceptual transfer. It focuses on the transfer effect of le, guo, and zhe on the past, perfect, and progressive forms. Existing research shows that L1 transfer involves both positive and negative effects, with negative transfer being more systematic, leading to errors such as tense confusion, missing subject–verb agreement, and misuse of non-finite verbs. This review further highlights the growing prominence of conceptual transfer perspectives and summarizes emerging research approaches, including neurolinguistic methods, longitudinal studies, and pedagogical interventions. The findings provide implications for language transfer theory and English tense-aspect teaching for Chinese-speaking learners.