[eng] In this paper we analyse the approach to the categories of tense and aspect in the textbooks used to teach Catalan language and literature in Secondary School. Specifically, we review the definition, the sequencing and the teaching-learning approach proposed to study these notions. Besides, in light of the review of these aspects, we make some critical observations and we put forward some proposals to treat tense and aspect as universal functional categories. The approach seeks a significant reflection about the meaning of these terms and the use of the different forms of the verbal paradigm according to the discourse.