Verbs not Used with Continuous Tenses

There are some verbs that we do not normally use with continuous tenses. We usually use the
following verbs with simple tenses only (not continuous tenses):
hate, like, love, need, prefer, want, wish
believe, imagine, know, mean, realize, recognize, remember, suppose,
understand
belong, concern, consist, contain, depend, involve, matter, need, owe,
own, possess
appear, resemble, seem,
hear, see
Here are some examples:
I want a coffee. not I am wanting a coffee.
I don't believe you are right. not I am not believing you are right.
Does this pen belong to you? not Is this pen belonging to you?
It seemed wrong. not It was seeming wrong.
I don't hear anything. not I am not hearing anything.
Notice that we often use can + see/hear:
I can see someone in the distance.
(not I am seeing someone in the distance.)
I can't hear you very well.


With verbs that we don't use in the continuous tense, there is no real action or activity.
Compare "to hear" and "to listen". "To hear" means "to receive sound in your ears". There is
no real action or activity by you. We use "to hear" with simple tenses only. But "to listen"
means "to try to hear". You make an effort to hear. There is a kind of action or activity. We
can use "to listen" with simple or continuous tenses.




Verbs with Two Meanings
Some verbs have two different meanings or senses. For one sense we must use a simple tense.
For the other sense we can use a continuous or simple tense.
For example, the verb to think has two different senses:
1. to believe, to have an opinion
I think red is a sexy colour.
2. to reflect, to use your brain to solve a problem
I am thinking about my homework.
In sense 1 there is no real action, no activity. This sense is called "stative". In sense 2 there is
a kind of action, a kind of activity. This sense is called "dynamic".
When we use the stative sense, we use a simple tense. When we use the dynamic sense, we
can use a simple or continuous tense, depending on the situation.
Look at the examples in the table below:
Stative sense
(no real action)
Dynamic sense
(a kind of action)
Simple only Continuous Simple
I think she is beautiful. Be quiet. I'm thinking.
I will think about this
problem tomorrow.
I don't consider that he
is the right man for the
job.
We are considering your job
application and will give you our
answer in a few days.
We consider every job
application very
carefully.
This table measures 4 x
6 feet.
She is measuring the room for a new
carpet.
A good carpenter
measures his wood
carefully.
Does the wine taste
good?
I was tasting the wine when I dropped
the glass.
I always taste wine
before I drink it.
Mary has three children.
Please phone later. We are having
dinner now.
We have dinner at 8pm
every day.
If you have a doubt about a particular verb, ask yourself the question: "Is there any real action
or activity?"