Stative Verbs
Table of Contents
Exercises
Explanation
Stative verbs talk about:
-
feelings
-
opinions
-
thoughts and knowledge
-
possession (things we have)
-
senses (see, hear, smell… when talking about what something is)
Stative verbs do not usually use continuous form (-ing).
We normally use Present Simple with stative verbs.
Examples of stative verbs
|
Meaning |
Verbs |
Example |
|
Feelings |
like, love, hate |
I love chocolate. She hates cold weather. |
|
Thinking / knowing |
know, understand, believe, remember |
I know the answer. He believes you. |
|
Possession |
have, own, belong |
I have a new phone. That car belongs to my dad. |
|
Senses (state) |
smell, taste, sound, see, hear |
This soup tastes good. The music sounds nice. |
|
Other states |
need, want, prefer, seem |
I want a sandwich. She seems happy. |
No continuous form
We do not say:
-
I am knowing the answer.
-
She is having a car.
We say:
-
I know the answer.
-
She has a car.
Some verbs can be action or stative (different meaning)
|
Verb |
Simple form (state) |
Continuous (action) |
|
have |
I have a dog. (possession) |
I am having lunch. (eating) |
|
think |
I think it's a good idea. (opinion) |
I am thinking about my trip. (planning) |
|
see |
I see your point. (understand) |
I am seeing the doctor tomorrow. (meeting) |
|
taste |
The cake tastes great. |
She is tasting the soup. (trying) |
|
be |
He is funny. (character) |
He is being funny today. (acting now) |
Tip
If you cannot do the action with your body, it is probably a stative verb.
You can run, jump, eat → action verbs
You cannot “know” someone with your hands → stative verb
Summary
-
Stative verbs describe feelings, thoughts, senses, and possession.
-
We usually do not use them with -ing.
-
Some verbs change meaning when used with -ing.
