This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the tense, aspect and mood (henceforth, TAM) system of Ìkwéré with the aim of identifying, analysing and documenting the TAM markers. It examines the interaction between TAM and other linguistic phenomena, such as tonology, morphology, and syntax, while assessing the degree to which each of the TAM components is important in Ìkwéré. The research adopts Kropp Dakubu’s (2008) Realis/Irrealis binary approach to elucidate how TAM operates in Ìkwéré. Data were collected through oral interviews with four competent native speakers using a grammatical questionnaire constructed by the researcher. Additionally, the researcher's intuition as a native speaker serves as a valuable supplementary tool. The findings of the study reveal that TAM exists in Ìkwéré, as functional categories, and is marked by a combination of prosody, affixes, and paraphrastic devices. Ìkwéré clearly marks two basic tenses, namely, past and future. Aspect in the language is built around the dichotomy between perfective and imperfective, while mood markers in Ìkwéré, expressed, for instance, through subjunctive and imperative constructions, play a role in indicating irrealis actions, allowing speakers to convey their attitudes, wishes, or commands in relation to hypothetical or unreal situations.
