stative verbs

STATIVE VERBS

the most common stative verbs

• believe
• mean
• be
• dislike
• taste
• have
• see
• think
• appear
• smell
• deny

• like
• love
• hate
• want
• need
• prefer
• know
• seem
• sound
• remember
• imagine

Some English, which we call STATE, NON-CONTINUOUS or STATIVE VERBS, are not used in continuous tenses.These tenses are, for example, present continuous or future continuous.These verbs often describe states that last for some time.

A verb which is not stative is called a DYNAMIC VERB. These verbs usually describe an action.

stative and dynamic verbs

Some verbs can be both stative and dynamic but with different meaning. These verbs are BE, HAVE, THINK, SEE and TASTE

behavethink

seetaste

STATIVE VERBS

BE

THINK

BE is usually a stative verb, but when it is used in the continuous it means "behaving" or "acting"

• Think (stative) = have an opinion I think that coffee is great
• Think (dynamic) = consider, have in my head What are you thinking about? I'm thinking about my next holiday

• you are stupid = it's part of your personality
• you are being stupid = only now, not usually

HAVE

SEE

TASTE

• See (stative) = see with your eyes/understand I see her now, she's coming along the road I see what you mean
• See (dynamic) = meet/have a realtionship with I've been seen my boyfriend for three years I'm seeing Mary tomorrow

• Have (sative) = own I have a car
• Have (dynamic) = part of an expression I'm having a good time/a break...

• Taste (stative) = has a certain taste This soup tastes great
• Taste (dynamic) = the action of tasting The chef is tasting the soup