1. Grammar
  2. B1-B2 grammar
  3. Stative verbs

Stative verbs

Do you know how to use stative verbs like think, love, smell and have? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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

Stative verbs: 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

Stative verbs: Grammar test 2

Try another grammar lesson

Language level

B1 - Intermediate
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Average: 5 (2 votes)

Submitted by Rsb on Thu, 22/04/2021 - 04:51

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Sir, Word 'sprained' is an adjective? For example, my legs got sprained. And word 'sprain' is a verb also For example, you sprained his legs.
Peter sir, Sometimes I get confused with the dictionary. So i ask here. Thanks

Hello Rsb,

You are welcome to ask us about sentences that you find on our websites, or even sometimes if you find them in authentic texts in print or online, but we have a limited capacity to correct numerous sentences that our users have written because it often takes quite a bit of time to answer them properly. That's what the two sentences you've asked about here appear to be, and neither one is correct. The issue is that our primary role here is to help our users with our website.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Rsb on Tue, 20/04/2021 - 20:29

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Sir, 'Confuse' is a verb. It has a form confuse, confused(V3 form) and confusing(V- ing form) And also 'confused' behaves as an adjective too. Example, he confuses me. He confused me. He is confusing me. Are these sentences correct? And u aware that we can make the same sentences with the help of causative verb Its structure: subject+make+ object+V 1st form Subject +make+object+ adjective He makes me confused. He made me confused. He is making me confused. My question starts here Why do we need to add 'ed' in the end of the verb confuse and why we make it an adjective by adding ed in the end of verb. We can't write only He makes me confuse. He made me confuse He is making me confuse Hope u got my point and help to resolve it?
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Submitted by Peter M. on Wed, 21/04/2021 - 07:44

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Hello Rsb,

The construction here is make + sb + adjective: make him happy, make her angry, make us tired.

In your example, you need to use the adjective confused: He makes me confused.

 

You can also use confusing, but you'd need a very specific context:

What I said is very easy to understand, but your translation is terrible! It makes me much more confusing than I really am!

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Sir, 'Confuse' is not a verb? Are these sentences incorrect He confused me etc.
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Submitted by Peter M. on Thu, 22/04/2021 - 06:42

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Hello again Rsb,

Yes, confuse is a verb. However, your question was, as far as I could judge, about the construction make sb + adjective not make sb + verb.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Mussorie on Tue, 08/06/2021 - 18:50

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Could you please explain the difference between the sentences? 1.It makes me confused 2.It makes me confusing

Hi Mussorie,

Confused and confusing are both adjectives. Confused refers to a person who thinks something is difficult to understand (i.e., it's an effect on the person). Confusing refers to what caused the confusion, for example:

  • The situation is confusing. (= It makes me confused.)
  • This information is confusing. (= It makes me confused.)

But we can't say your sentence 2. Your sentence 1 is the correct version, because the adjective refers to 'me'.

 

Confusing may also be a verb in the -ing form, e.g.:

  • You're confusing me. Can you explain it to me again more slowly?

But in your sentence 2, confusing isn't a verb (because after 'make', the verb must be in the infinitive form, not the -ing form).

I hope that helps :)

Jonathan

The LearnEnglish Team