English VII - Professor Martha Irene Andrade Parra

Stative Verbs
Stative verbs are verbs which describe a state rather than an action, and so do

not usually have a continuous tense. These verbs are:

01 Verbs of the senses

-see, hear, smell, taste, feel, look, sound,

02 Verbs of perception

-know, believe, understand, realise,

seem, appear, etc. remember, forget, etc.

03 Verbs which express feelings and

emotions
04 Other verbs

-be, contain, include, belong, fit, need,

-like, love, hate, enjoy, prefer, detest, matter, cost, own, want, weigh, wish,

want, etc. have, keep, etc.

Present simple or present continuous?

Many of the verbs above can also be used in continuous tenses

when they describe actions rather than states.

Present Simple Present Continuous

THINK THINK

I think she's a very good She is thinking about selling her

listener. (state: think = believe) computer. (action: think =

considering)

SEE SEE

I can see my home from up My mother is seeing an ear

here. (state: see = it is visible) specialist next week. (action:

I can see now that she was see = is meeting)

wrong for me. (state: see =

understand)

The verb enjoy can be used in continuous tenses to express specific preference.

We really enjoy staying home on Friday nights. (general preference)

BUT: I'm enjoying this novel very much. (specific preference)

NOTES: The verb look (when we refer to somebody's appearance), feel (experience a

particular emotion), hurt and ache can be used in simple or continuous tenses

with no difference in meaning.

Peter's tooth is hurting. = Peter's tooth hurts.

Sources:
Evans, V. & Edwards, L. (2007). Upstream Advanced C1. Express Publishing, p.240.