What feature of human language allows people to talk about the past and future?

The feature of human language that allows us to talk about the past and future is displacement.

Displacement means we can communicate about things that are not physically present, including:

* Things that happened in the past: We can talk about events that occurred yesterday, last week, or even centuries ago.

* Things that might happen in the future: We can plan for the future, make predictions, and discuss hypothetical scenarios.

* Abstract concepts: We can talk about ideas, emotions, and theories that are not tangible objects.

This ability to "displace" ourselves from the present moment and communicate about things outside of our immediate surroundings is a defining characteristic of human language and sets it apart from other animal communication systems.