Grammar
Dynamic and stative verbs: actions or states?
Two sentences can describe the present, but they may need different verb forms. Compare She is eating lunch with She likes chocolate. Eating is an action in progress. Like describes a feeling.
Choose the present continuous for an action in progress and the present simple for a state, feeling, opinion, or possession.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
stative /ˈsteɪ.tɪv/
The short answer
Use the present continuous for an action in progress. Use the present simple for a state, feeling, opinion, possession, or knowledge.
Mina is writing an email, but she knows the answer already.
Why it works: Writing is an action happening now. Knows describes a state of knowledge.
5 more examples
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Luis is working in the library this afternoon.
Working is an action in progress this afternoon, so the present continuous fits.
Not this:Luis
worksin the library every afternoon. What changes: The present simple describes a usual routine instead of the activity in progress today. -
I know the route to the station.
Know describes information in the speaker's mind, so it is normally stative.
Not this:I
am knowingthe route to the station. What changes: This is not the normal form when know means having information. -
We want a table near the window.
Want describes a wish or need, so English normally uses the present simple.
Not this:We
are wantinga table near the window. What changes: The continuous form is not the normal choice when want describes a current need. -
I think the blue suitcase is lighter.
Think gives the speaker's opinion here, so it is stative.
Not this:I
am thinking aboutthe blue suitcase. What changes: Thinking about something describes a mental process, so the continuous form is possible. -
Nora is having dinner with her cousin.
Having dinner names an activity, so the continuous form works.
Not this:Nora
hasa bicycle. What changes: Has means possession here, so it is stative and uses the present simple.
Read the full guide
Start with the meaning of the verb in this sentence. The same verb can be stative in one sentence and dynamic in another, so a list of verbs is less useful than checking what the speaker means.
Find the action or the state
Ask one question first: does the verb describe an action in progress, or does it describe a state? Eating, running, working, and studying are actions. Knowing, liking, wanting, believing, and owning are states in their usual meanings.
The children are drawing pictures at the table.
Use the continuous for an action in progress
Use am, is, or are plus the verb ending in -ing when an action is happening around the present time. The continuous form helps the listener see the action as in progress.
Sam is studying for an exam this evening.
Use the simple form for a state
States include knowledge, feelings, opinions, wishes, and possession. These meanings usually take the present simple, even when they are true at this moment. Say I believe you, not I am believing you.
She likes the new schedule.
Read the meaning of think
Think can give an opinion or describe the process of considering something. In I think you are right, the speaker gives an opinion. In I am thinking about your idea, the speaker is considering it. The words after think often make the meaning clear.
Use I think for an opinion. Use I am thinking about for a mental process.
Read the meaning of have
Have often describes possession: He has a car. That meaning is stative. In phrases such as have dinner, have a shower, or have a meeting, have can name an activity. Then the continuous form can be natural: He is having dinner.
A colleague is eating a meal with a client now. Which form fits: has lunch or is having lunch?
Use is having lunch because the meal is an activity in progress.
Before you go
Remember this
Use the present continuous for actions in progress, such as She is eating lunch. Use the present simple for states such as She likes chocolate or He has a car. With think and have, read the rest of the sentence to find the meaning.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Dynamic and stative verbs: actions or states?"
What is a dynamic verb?
A dynamic verb describes an action or process, such as run, eat, work, or study. It can use the present continuous when the action is in progress.
Luis is working in the library this afternoon.
What is a stative verb?
A stative verb describes a state, such as knowledge, a feeling, an opinion, a wish, or possession. Common examples include know, like, want, believe, and have.
Luis works in the library every afternoon.
Why is I am knowing not usually correct?
Know usually means having information. That is a state, so English normally uses the present simple: I know the answer.
I know the route to the station.
Why can think use two different forms?
I think can give an opinion, while I am thinking about can describe the process of considering an idea. The meaning in the sentence decides the form.
I am knowing the route to the station.
Why can have be stative or dynamic?
Have is stative when it means possession, as in He has a car. It can be dynamic when it names an activity, as in She is having dinner.
We want a table near the window.