Buzz
1. What are stative verbs?
Stative verbs are an important element in constructing grammatically correct English sentences. These verbs are associated with human senses or express thoughts, emotions, perception, or human states. In other words, stative verbs describe the states and actions of the subject in a sentence.
Stative verbs can be classified into main groups according to the following criteria:
- Động từ trạng thái chỉ tình cảm: want, like, dislike, hate,…
- Động từ trạng thái chỉ quan điểm, suy nghĩ: know, understand, agree, think,…
- Động từ trạng thái sở hữu: belong, own, include, lack,…
- Động từ trạng thái chỉ cảm nhận của giác quan: seem, sound, look, smell,…
2. Common stative verbs in English
2.1. Verbs indicating emotional state
In English, there are several verbs indicating emotional state. Let's refer to them below:
| Động từ chỉ trạng thái | Ý nghĩa | Ví dụ |
| Want | muốn | She wants a dress for his birthday |
| Like | thích | I like him but I don’t like his younger brother much. |
| Dislike | không thích | My sister dislikes swimming, but she enjoys trekking |
| Hate | ghét | Hoa was beginning to hate the course |
| Need | cần | Dung didn’t need to bring a cake |
| Adore | yêu thích | Linh is a good nurse. All her patients adore her. |
| Care for | quan tâm | My brother really cared for him |
| Mind | bận tâm | It was drizzling, but I didn’t mind |
| Desire | khao khát | She desired the boss’s approval more than anything |
| Hope | hy vọng | That is what Trang hoped would happen |
| Appreciate | đánh giá | Living in the big city has taught him to appreciate the differences between people |
| Value | coi trọng | We don’t seem to value honesty very highly |
| Prefer | thích hơn | This boy prefers vegetables to meat |
| Love | yêu | I wanted to tell Linh that I loved him |
2.2. Verbs indicating opinion, thought
In addition to verbs indicating emotional state, Mytour provides you with a list of verbs indicating opinion, thought as follows:
| Động từ chỉ trạng thái | Ý nghĩa | Ví dụ |
| Know | biết | The boy knows a lot about the history of that city |
| Doubt | nghi ngờ | I have always doubted the existence of life on other planets |
| Understand | hiểu | Linh doesn’t really understand the case |
| Wish | ước | Thi could not believe that she wished his harm |
| Agree | đồng ý | We agreed that Tuan was right |
| Think | nghĩ | I think this action should be banned |
| Believe | tin tưởng | I believe that Hoa was wrong |
| Recognize | nhận ra | He recognized his best friend the moment he came into this room |
| Forget | quên | Thong will never forget her ex-boyfriend |
| Remember | nhớ | I remember being childish back then |
| Imagine | tưởng tượng | She asked them to imagine a world without war or poverty. |
| Mean | có nghĩa là | This means my college should stop doing this campaign |
| Disagree | không đồng ý | Many people disagreed with the authorities’ action |
| Deny | từ chối | They denied to give comments on this event |
| Promise | hứa | I promised to buy my younger brother his favorite comic |
| Satisfy | hài lòng | I hope this answer can satisfy your questions and concerns |
2.3. Verbs indicating possession
Below are verbs indicating possession, please refer to them:
| Động từ chỉ trạng thái | Ý nghĩa | Ví dụ |
| Belong | thuộc về | This pink suitcase belong to Lady Tam |
| Own | sở hữu | My boyfriend owns 5 apartments in Ha Long city center |
| Include | bao gồm | This content of Ha includes many unique ideas |
| Possess | sở hữu | She possesses a keen wit |
| Lack | thiếu sót | This design lacks a lot of elements |
| Consist | bao gồm | Hon Ong island consists of a lot of amenities |
| Contain | chứa | This blue bottle contains water |
2.4. Verbs indicating sensory perception
Finally, verbs indicating sensory perception:
| Động từ chỉ trạng thái | Ý nghĩa | Ví dụ |
| seem | dường như | It seems that this unisex store will have to close down |
| sound | nghe(âm thanh) | This sounds familiar |
| look | nhìn, trông như | Hien looks happy today |
| smell | ngửi (hương thơm) | The food in restaurant smells good |
| see | thấy | I see what you mean |
| recognize | nhận ra | I recognized my dad’s mistakes |
3. Differentiating stative verbs and action verbs
3.1. The difference between stative verbs and action verbs
In English grammar, action verbs can be used in all forms (continuous, simple present, perfect).
In contrast, stative verbs can be used in simple and perfect forms, but not in continuous form (V-ing).
Here is a specific example in a sentence:
| Động từ hành động | Động từ chỉ trạng thái |
| Oliver runs every day. She’s running on a 30-mile road. So far, she has run 15 routes | He is liking running a lot-> SaiHe likes running a lot -> Đúng |
3.2. Some verbs that are both stative and action verbs
In English, there are some verbs that are both stative and action verbs, which often confuse learners. Mytour will introduce you to some verbs in this category in the table below:
| Từ vựng | Động từ chỉ trạng thái | Động từ chỉ hành động | ||
| Ý nghĩa | Ví dụ | Ý nghĩa | Ví dụ | |
| Think (/θɪŋk/ ) | Nghĩ rằng, tin rằng | My mom thinks, in this case, she is right | Xem xét, cân nhắc, suy nghĩ | She is thinking of studying for a master’s degree |
| Feel (/fiːl/) | Cảm thấy, thấy | I feel that my brother is tired. He should go to the hospital now | Sờ, chạm vào | I am feeling something with soft fur |
| Taste (/teɪst/) | Có vị | The dish cooked by her tastes good | Nếm | He is tasting the salad in the kitchen room |
| Smell (/smɛl/) | Có mùi | This garbage smells terrible! | Ngửi | The dog is smelling thief |
| Have (/hæv/) | Sở hữu | They have 3 vouchers, would you like to receive them? | Ăn, uống, tắm | He is having dinner with her parents |
| See (/siː/) | Hiểu được | I see what you mean | Gặp, nhìn | This afternoon, I will see my math teacher |
| Look (/lʊk/) | Trông có vẻ | My girlfriend looks adorable wearing this skirt | Nhìn | My younger brother is looking strangely at me |
| Appear (/əˈpɪə/) | Dường như, có vẻ như | After failing the test, Hang appears hopeless | Xuất hiện | Tonight, my math teacher is appearing on the TV news |
| Stay (/steɪ/ ) | Duy trì | Lan stays calm state in this case | Ở | She is staying at homestay |
| Turn (/tɜːn/) | Chuyển sang (trạng thái) | The flower turns red due to dust | Rẽ | Minh is turning at the end of the alley to enter my house |
| Expect (/ɪksˈpɛkt/) | Cho rằng, nghĩ rằng | Thanh expects, the teacher doesn’t like him | Mong đợi, kỳ vọng | I am expecting to entering this school |
| Weigh (/weɪ/) | Có trọng lượng, nặng | This bag of banana fruit weighs 800 grams | Đo, cân | The seller is weighing the banana fruit |
| Enjoy (/ɪnˈʤɔɪ/) | Thích | I enjoy going to the zoo on weekends | Tận hưởng | I am enjoying my holiday |
4. Exercises on stative verbs
Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with the given stative verbs: own, hope, realize, see
- Chinh’s cousins …… a 4-star hotel and a luxury restaurant.
- I don’t …… that my girlfriend has changed her weight.
- The final test is coming. I …….. I can pass the test with the best scores.
- I ……. what you say. You do not need to explain much.
Exercise 2: Complete the sentences with the given stative verbs: thinks, smells, want, weigh
- I’m too hungry – Do you … a Bun Cha?
- Thanh insists he loves Tran because he … she is a nice girl.
- Don’t eat banana cakes. It … terrible.
- Nhung, you … 70kg. You shouldn’t drink a lot of milk tea.
Answers
Bài tập 1
- Owns
- See
- Hope
- Realize
Exercise 2
- Want
- Thinks
- Smells
- Weigh
