List of stative verbs
Know, want, belong, seem: verbs we don't usually use in continuous forms, and think, have, see and taste, which can be both.
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Stative verbs describe a state, not an action: what we think, like, own or notice with our senses. We don't usually use them in continuous forms, so we say I know, not I'm knowing, also about this moment. This page lists the common ones by meaning, then the verbs that are a state in one meaning and an action in another.
The list by meaning
Meaning | Verbs |
|---|---|
opinions | believe, doubt, suppose, think (= have an opinion) |
knowing | know, mean, realise, recognise, remember, understand |
liking and wanting | dislike, hate, like, love, need, prefer, want, wish |
having | belong to, consist of, contain, include, own, have (= own) |
the senses | hear, see, smell, sound, taste |
other states | agree, cost, depend, deserve, fit, look like (= be similar to), matter, owe, seem, weigh |
- This box contains old letters.
- It depends on the weather.
- Do you agree with me?
- Incorrect: The price is including breakfast.
- Correct: The price includes breakfast.Include is a state, so use the simple form.
- Incorrect: I'm not believing a word he says.
- Correct: I don't believe a word he says.
The same in every tense
Stative verbs stay simple in the past and in the perfect tenses too. For "how long up to now", use the present perfect simple, not the present perfect continuous.
- When I was a student, I owned an old bike.
- She seemed tired yesterday.
- How long have you owned this car?
- Incorrect: We've been knowing each other for ten years.
- Correct: We've known each other for ten years.Know is a state, so use have known.
Verbs with two meanings
Some verbs are a state in one meaning and an action in another. In the action meaning, the continuous is fine.
Verb | State: simple only | Action: continuous possible |
|---|---|---|
think | I think you're right. | I'm thinking about my holiday. |
have | They have a big garden. | We're having lunch. |
see | I see what you mean. | I'm seeing the dentist today. |
taste | The soup tastes great. | She's tasting the soup. |
smell | The bread smells good. | Why are you smelling the milk? |
look | You look like your dad. | What are you looking at? |
weigh | My bag weighs ten kilos. | They're weighing the bags. |
be | He is usually very quiet. | He's being very rude today. |
See as an action means "meet" or "have an appointment with". Be in the continuous is about how someone is behaving now: You're being silly.
- Incorrect: We're having two cats and a dog.
- Correct: We have two cats and a dog.Have means own here, so it is a state.
Feel: both are fine
For how you feel in your body or your mood, both forms are correct, with little difference: I feel tired or I'm feeling tired. When feel means "think", use the simple form: I feel that we should wait. Look works the same way when it says how someone seems right now: You look well or You're looking well today.
Can see, can hear
With see, hear, smell and taste, we often use can for something happening now, where other verbs would take the continuous.
- I can hear music next door.
- Incorrect: I'm seeing the sea from my window.
- Correct: I can see the sea from my window.See is a state when it means notice with your eyes. Use can see.
Not on the list
Hope, enjoy, wonder and listen are actions, so the continuous is normal: I'm hoping to finish today. Are you enjoying the film?
In adverts and informal speech you may hear I'm loving it. It is a special effect, not the usual form. In your own English, the simple form is always safe for the verbs in the first table.