Verbs with stative and dynamic uses

STATIVE AND DYNAMIC VERBS

Verbs in English can be classified into two categories: stative verbs and dynamic verbs. Dynamic verbs (sometimes referred to as "action verbs") usually describe actions we can take, or things that happen; stative verbs usually refer to a state or condition which is not changing or likely to change. The difference is important, because stative verbs cannot normally be used in the continuous (BE + ING) forms. This will explain the differences between the two types of verb, and give lots of examples of each kind.

Los verbos en inglés se pueden clasificar en dos categorías: verbos estáticos y verbos dinámicos. Los verbos dinámicos (a veces denominados "verbos de acción") generalmente describen acciones que podemos realizar o cosas que suceden; los verbos estativos generalmente se refieren a un estado o condición que no está cambiando o que es probable que cambie. La diferencia es importante, porque los verbos estativos normalmente no se pueden usar en las formas continuas (BE + ING). Esto explicará las diferencias entre los dos tipos de verbos, y dará muchos ejemplos de cada tipo.

 

         

Dynamic verbs

There are many types of dynamic verbs, but most of them describe activities or events which can begin and finish. Here are some examples:

Hay muchos tipos de verbos dinámicos, pero la mayoría de ellos describen actividades o eventos que pueden comenzar y terminar. Aquí hay unos ejemplos:

Dynamic Verb          Type   Examples

play    activity           She plays tennis every Friday.

She's playing tennis right now.

melt    process          The snow melts every spring.

The snow is melting right now

hit       momentary action   When one boxer hits another, brain damage can result. (This suggests only ONE punch.)

Dynamic verbs, as you can see from the table above, can be used in the simple and perfect forms (plays, played, has played, had played) as well as the continuous or progressive forms (is playing, was playing, has been playing, had been playing).

Los verbos dinámicos, como se puede ver en la tabla anterior, se pueden usar en las formas simples y perfectas (jugadas, jugadas, jugadas, juegos) y formas continuas o progresivas (está jugando, estaba jugando, ha estado jugando , había estado jugando).

Stative verbs

Stative verbs usually refer to a state or condition which is quite static or unchanging. They can be divided into verbs of perception or cognition (which refer to things in the mind), or verbs of relation (which describe the relationships between things). Here are some examples:

Los verbos estativos generalmente se refieren a un estado o condición que es bastante estático o inmutable. Se pueden dividir en verbos de percepción o cognición (que se refieren a cosas en la mente), o verbos de relación (que describen las relaciones entre las cosas). Aquí hay unos ejemplos:

Ejemplos Examples of statives are:

want, know, have (when it means possession), think (when it means opinion), like, love, hate, need, prefer, agree, sound, hear disagree, wish, look (when it mean seem), smell, seem, include...

You cannot say:

• I am knowing the truth.
• I am liking pizza.
• It is sounding like a great idea.

But you must say:

• I know the truth.
• I like pizza.
• It sounds like a great idea.

Dynamic verbs

As opposed to a stative verb, a dynamic (or action) verb shows continued or progressive action on the part of the subject.

Examples of dynamic verbs (dynamic verbs) are:

act, build, complete, design, develop, draw, fix, gather, handle, head, help, improve, interview, introduce, justify, listen, lead, measure, narrate, negotiate, orchestrate, originate, outline, perform, persuade, predict, regulate, record, save, show, study, target, transform, travel, treat, uncover, unveil, use, validate, value, visualize, widen, write, zap, zoom...

These verbs can be used both in the simple and continuous forms.

• Look at her! She is acting foolishly.
  OR
  She acts as a teacher in this movie.
• The company is targeting young customers with this new product.
  OR
  We targeted a new market with that product.

Dynamic and stative

Some verbs can be both action verbs and dynamic verbs depending on their meaning:

1. Be

• be = it is usually used as a stative verb - stative
  He's an excellent guitarist.
• be = when it means behave or act, it can be used as a an action verb in the continuous form. - dynamic
  You are being silly.

2. Think

• think = to express an opinion, to believe - stative
  I think it's a fantastic idea.
• think = consider, to reason about or reflect on, ponder, to have or formulate in the mind - dynamic
  I am thinking about my friend

3. Have

• have = to possess, to own - stative
  He has a beautiful car
• have = when it doesn't mean own or possess - dynamic
  He's having lunch.

4. See

• see = to perceive with the eye, to understand - stative
  I see what you mean.
• see = to meet, to be in the company of, to escort, to attend - dynamic
  He's been seeing the same woman for eight years.