Look at these examples to see how stative verbs are used.
I think that's a good idea.
I love this song!
That coffee smells good.
Do you have a pen?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Stative verbs describe a state rather than an action. They aren't usually used in the present continuous form.
I don't know the answer.
I'm not knowing the answer.
She really likes you.She's really liking you.
He seems happy at the moment.He's seeming happy at the moment.
Stative verbs often relate to:
- thoughts and opinions: agree, believe, doubt, guess, imagine, know, mean, recognise, remember, suspect, think, understand
- feelings and emotions: dislike, hate, like, love, prefer, want, wish
- senses and perceptions: appear, be, feel, hear, look, see, seem, smell, taste
- possession and measurement: belong, have, measure, own, possess, weigh.
Verbs that are sometimes stative
A number of verbs can refer to states or actions, depending on the context.
I think it's a good idea.
Wait a moment! I'm thinking.
The first sentence expresses an opinion. It is a mental state, so we use present simple. In the second example the speaker is actively processing thoughts about something. It is an action in progress, so we use present continuous.
Some other examples are:
have
I have an old car. (state – possession)
I'm having a quick break. (action – having a break is an activity)
see
Do you see any problems with that? (state – opinion)
We're seeing Tadanari tomorrow afternoon. (action – we're meeting him)
be
He's so interesting! (state – his permanent quality)
He's being very unhelpful. (action – he is temporarily behaving this way)
taste
This coffee tastes delicious. (state – our perception of the coffee)
Look! The chef is tasting the soup. (action – tasting the soup is an activity)
Other verbs like this include: agree, appear, doubt, feel, guess, hear, imagine, look, measure, remember, smell, weigh, wish.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello IRaisa,
Most verbs are dynamic and express an action or process -- some common ones are 'eat', 'talk', 'run', 'go', 'study', 'read', 'write'.
Some verbs can be dynamic or stative depending on how they're used. For example, when 'have' expresses possession (e.g. 'I have two bicycles'), it's stative; but when 'have' is used to express an action (e.g. 'He can't speak to you because he's having a shower at the moment'), it's dynamic.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
My point is above "Grammar test 2" you wrote verbs like:
*Remember
*Doubt
*Hear
*Agree
All of them we can use as dynamic verbs and as stative verbs. My question is do we use them as an action when we want to write about continuous form or do they have different meanings?
- I am remembering about promises. ( an action? )
- He is doubting my plan. ( an action? )
- I am hearing it right now. ( an action? )
- He was agreeing with me. ( an action? )
A lot of people/websites/books say we shouldn't have used them as dynamic verbs consequently it is incorrect.
Hello IRaisa,
Thanks for explaining your question in more detail.
If you see a verb that is generally considered stative used in a continuous form, that's a good sign that it's being used dynamically. I'd say the verbs in the sentences you wrote are dynamic in those contexts. They don't have a different meaning. The idea is that stative verbs express states of being or unchanging situations, whereas dynamic verbs express an action that has a duration, i.e. that occurs and changes over the course of time. So if I say 'I think I will go', the idea is that in this moment I plan to go. But if I say 'I'm thinking I'll go', it suggests that I'm still actively considering whether I should go or not; I may have come to a decision (that I will probably go), but I might still change my mind.
Grammar is actually quite complex and so often explanations of different grammar points are partial explanations. In addition to the fact that a complete explanation is very difficult to write properly, a full explanation probably would confuse or overwhelm students. This is why teaching grammars, such as ours, don't explain everything and stick to what experience has shown us to be most important for most learners.
Hope this helps you make sense of it.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
I thank you for your time
Hello. Which one is correct:
- I have a headache now or
-i"m having a headache now ?
Thank you
Hello Ulk,
The correct form is 'have'.
We treat a headache as a state rather than an action, so the simple is used.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you
Could I ask about the verb Feel? I know it can be active when expresses a change or a process as in -How are you feeling? I'm feeling well ( phisical state) What about emotional state, can i say I'm feeling happy?
and when it means perception ,can we say for ex. I'm feeling his hand on my shoulder?
Thank you
Hello Ulk,
As you say, 'feel' is sometimes used with continuous aspect. Changes and temporary states are common examples.
Perception is a little more complex. We can use continuous aspect when we are describing a conscious activity (something we do) rather than a passive experience (something that happens to us). Thus 'I'm feeling his hand' would suggest that we are using our hand to explore his hand, like a physiotherapist doing a physical examination. If someone touches us then 'I feel his hand' or (most likely) 'I can feel his hand' would be used.
For some verbs of perception we have different verbs for active performance and passive experience (watch-see, listen-hear) but for other senses the distinction is expressed in a similar way to 'feel' (smell, taste).
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you, Peter, it's clear about perceptions now. And just to be totally sure about states): is I'm FEELING happy correct?
Hello again Ulk,
Yes, you can say I'm feeling happy when you are talking about your mood, which can change from one moment to the next.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team