STATE VERBS

STATE VERBS
• State verbs express states or conditions and not activities .
• They are not usually used in present continuous

I‘m hungry. I want something to eat.

Do you understand what I‘m saying?
Jane doesn‘t seem very happy at the moment.
 State verbs
Verbs of thinking and opinions
believe, think, understand, suppose, agree, doubt, know, remember, forget,
promise, mean, imagine, realize, deserve
Verbs of emotions and Feelings
like, love, hate, care, hope, wish, want, prefer, adore, dislike
Verbs of having and being
belong, have, possess, contain, cost, seem, matter, need, depend, consist,
own, owe
Verbs of senses
look, hear, smell, taste, feel, sound
• Some of these verbs can be used in present continuous with a
difference in meaning. In present continuous the verbs expresses an
activity not a state
• She has a lot of money. She‘s having a shower now.
(possession- vlastnictví) (aktivity-sprchuje se)
• I see what you mean. Are you seeing Nigel tomorrow?
(understand) (meeting)
• You look great today. He‘s looking at me.
(state-vypadat) (activity-dívat se)
The soup tastes awful? I‘m tasting the soup to see if it needs salt.
(state-mít nějakou chuť) (activity-ochutnávat)