Some verbs aren’t used in continuous tenses (like the present continuous). These are called state, non-continuous, or stative verbs. They often describe ongoing states, but identifying a stative verb can be tricky. We need to memorize them.
Verbs that are not stative are called dynamic verbs. We’ve already covered stative verbs such as be, hate, have, know, like, love, mean, need, understand, and want.
Here are more typically stative verbs. When discussing the present, use the present simple rather than the present continuous:
- agree: I agree with you. (Not: I am agreeing with you.)
- believe: Do you believe me?
- belong: Who does that bag belong to? (Not: Who is that bag belonging to?)
- depend: It depends on the weather.
- hear: Do you hear the music?
- mind: I don’t mind.
- own: She owns two cars.
- prefer: I prefer coffee to tea.
- remember: Do you remember that holiday?
- seem: He seems happy! (Not: He is seeming happy.)
In very informal English, especially in modern contexts, you might hear stative verbs like ‘like’ and ‘love’ in the present continuous to emphasize that the feeling is happening right now. This usage is generally not correct in written English.
