Stative Verbs

Verbs that describe states and rarely use continuous forms

intermediate

When to Use

•Mental states: know, believe, understand, remember, forget, think (opinion).
•Emotions: love, like, hate, prefer, want, need.
•Senses: see, hear, smell, taste, feel (perception).
•Possession: have, own, belong, possess.
•Other states: be, seem, appear, cost, weigh, contain.

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

Use simple tenses: I know the answer. She loves music.

Negative (-)

I don't know. She doesn't love it.

Question (?)

Do you know? Does she love it?

💡 Some verbs can be stative or dynamic with different meanings: think (opinion vs process), have (possess vs experience).

Examples

✓I understand now.

✗I'm understanding now.

Understand is stative; use simple.

✓She has a car.

✗She's having a car.

Have (possess) is stative.

✓I'm having lunch.

✗I have lunch (if eating now).

Have (experience) can be continuous.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• Stative = state/condition; use simple tenses.
• Categories: mental, emotional, sensory, possession.
• Some verbs change: think (opinion = stative), think (process = dynamic).
• Have: possess = stative; experience (have lunch) = dynamic.

present-simple present-continuous simple-vs-continuous-overview 📝 verbs-intermediate 📝 stative-verbs-quiz

Stative Verbs

Verbs that describe states and rarely use continuous forms

intermediate

When to Use

•Mental states: know, believe, understand, remember, forget, think (opinion).
•Emotions: love, like, hate, prefer, want, need.
•Senses: see, hear, smell, taste, feel (perception).
•Possession: have, own, belong, possess.
•Other states: be, seem, appear, cost, weigh, contain.

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

Use simple tenses: I know the answer. She loves music.

Negative (-)

I don't know. She doesn't love it.

Question (?)

Do you know? Does she love it?

💡 Some verbs can be stative or dynamic with different meanings: think (opinion vs process), have (possess vs experience).

Examples

✓I understand now.

✗I'm understanding now.

Understand is stative; use simple.

✓She has a car.

✗She's having a car.

Have (possess) is stative.

✓I'm having lunch.

✗I have lunch (if eating now).

Have (experience) can be continuous.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• Stative = state/condition; use simple tenses.
• Categories: mental, emotional, sensory, possession.
• Some verbs change: think (opinion = stative), think (process = dynamic).
• Have: possess = stative; experience (have lunch) = dynamic.

present-simple present-continuous simple-vs-continuous-overview 📝 verbs-intermediate 📝 stative-verbs-quiz

Stative Verbs

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

Stative Verbs

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗I'm knowing the answer.

✗She's loving this song.

✗I'm believing you.

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗I'm knowing the answer.

✗She's loving this song.

✗I'm believing you.

💡 Practice Tips

Related