As mentioned in the previous lesson on the present continuous, there are some verbs which may not be used in the continuous tenses. Below is a list of the verbs which cannot be used in any of the continuous verb tenses (present, past or future). The list is grouped according to the type of verb. In general, verbs which cannot be used in the continuous are static verbs, rather than active ones (dynamic). Some of the following verbs have two meanings; one which is static and one which is active. If there is more than one meaning for a verb, you will find below only the meaning of the verb that cannot be used in the continuous.
feel, hear, see, smell, taste
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It smells like you are cooking something.
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It is smelling like you are cooking something.
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I am seeing you later, right?
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I am tasting the soup to see if it is as good as it smells.
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I taste the soup right now.
Note: If the sense is voluntary or active, we can use the continuous form. In the case of “to hear”, the active form is a different verb, “to listen to”.
believe, dislike, doubt, imagine, hate, know, like, love, prefer, realize, recognize, remember,
suppose, think, understand, want, wish…
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You’re lying. I don’t believe you!
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You’re lying. I am not believing you!
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Don’t worry, he understands you.
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Don’t worry, he is understanding you.
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Do you think there is something wrong?
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Are you thinking there is something wrong?
3. Stative or Abstract Verbs:
be, cost, seem, need, care, contain, exist…
David is needing a new car.
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Cigarettes cost 5 euros now.
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Cigarettes are costing 5 euros now.
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I don’t care if you don’t like it, you are going to eat it!
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I’m not caring if you are not liking it, you are going to eat it!
Note: Normally, “to be” is a static verb, but it can also be used to talk about behavior. In this case, when we use “to be” to discuss the conduct of someone, we can use the continuous tense.
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You are silly.(*Meaning = in general, you are a silly person)
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You are being silly.(*Meaning = at the moment, you are acting or behaving in a silly manner)
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belong, have, possess, own…
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Ann owned a house when she lived in New York.
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Ann was owning a house when she lived in New York.
Note: When we use the verb “to have” in the possessive sense, we cannot use it in the continuous.
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I am having dinner right now.
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agree, astonish, deny, disagree, impress, mean,
please, promise, satisfy, surprise…
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I disagree, I think it’s a great idea.
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I am disagreeing, I am thinking it’s a great idea.
A continuación tenemos la lista de los verbos que no podemos usar en los tiempos continuos. La lista se encuentra clasificada en grupos según el tipo. En general, son verbos estáticos y no de actividad (dinámicos). Algunos de estos verbos pueden tener dos significados, uno de acción y otro estático. Si hay más de un significado para un mismo verbo, encontrarás el significado que no podemos usar en los tiempos continuos con la traducción al español.
1. Los verbos de sentido:
feel (el tacto, sentir), hear (el oído, oír), see (la vista, ver),
smell (el olfato, olor), taste (el gusto, sabor)
Ejemplos:
Involuntaria:
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I (can) see you.(Te veo.)
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I am seeing you.
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It smells like you are cooking something.(Huele como que estás cocinando algo.)
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It is smelling like you are cooking something.
Voluntaria:
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I am seeing you later, right?(¿Te veré luego, no?)
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I see you later, right?
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I am tasting the soup to see if it is as good as it smells.(Estoy probando la sopa para ver si es tan buena como huele. )
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I taste the soup right now.
Nota: Si la percepción es voluntaria, se puede usar la forma continua. Usamos el verbo “to listen” para oir de forma voluntaria.
2. Verbos emotivos:
believe (creer), dislike (no gustar), doubt (dudar),
imagine (imaginar), hate (odiar), know (saber, conocer), like (gustar),
love (encantar, amar, querer), prefer (preferir), realize (dar cuenta),
recognize (reconocer), remember (recordar, acordarse),
suppose (suponer), think (creer), understand (entender, comprender),
want (querer), wish (esperar)…
Ejemplos:
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You’re lying. I don’t believe you!(Mientes. ¡No te creo!)
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You’re lying. I am not believing you!
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Don’t worry, he understands you.(No te preocupes, él te entiende.)
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Don’t worry, he is understanding you.
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Do you think there is something wrong?(¿Crees que hay algo mal?)
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Are you thinking there is something wrong?
3. Verbos de estado o verbos abstractos:
be (ser, estar), cost (costar), seem (parecer), need (necesitar),
care (importar), contain (contener), exist (existir)…
Ejemplos:
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I am ill.(Estoy enfermo.)
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I am being ill.
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David needs a new car.(David necesita un nuevo coche.)
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David is needing a new car.
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Cigarettes cost 5 euros now.(Los cigarrillos cuestan 5 euros ahora.)
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Cigarettes are costing 5 euros now.
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I don’t care if you don’t like it, you are going to eat it!(No me importa si no te gusta, ¡vas a comerlo!)
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I’m not caring if you are not liking it, you are going to eat it!
Nota: Normalmente, “to be” es un verbo estático pero podemos usarlo también para hablar del comportamiento. Para referirnos a la conducta de alguien, podemos usarlo en el tiempo continuo.
Ejemplos:
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You are silly.(Significa que “eres tonto.”)
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You are being silly.(Significa que “ahora te estás portando como un tonto.”)
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4. Verbos de posesión:
belong (pertenecer), have (tener), possess (poseer), own (poseer)…
Ejemplos:
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Ann owned a house when she lived in New York.(Ann poseyó una casa cuando vivió en Nueva York.)
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Ann was owning a house when she lived in New York.
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That belongs to me!(¡Eso me pertenece!)
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That is belonging to me!
Nota: Cuando usamos “to have” para referirnos a algo que poseemos (una cosa, una cantidad, etc.), no podemos usarlo en el tiempo continuo. Pero si es parte de una expresión, podemos usarlo en el continuo.
Ejemplos:
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I have [I’ve got] a car.(Tengo un coche.)
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I am having a car.
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I am having dinner right now.(Estoy cenando ahora mismo.)
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I have dinner right now.
5. Verbos de comunicación:
agree (acordar), astonish (asombrar), deny (negar),
disagree (no estar de acuerdo), impress (impresionar), mean (significar), please (agradar), promise (prometer), satisfy (satisfacer),
surprise (sorprender)…
Ejemplos:
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I disagree, I think it’s a great idea.(No estoy de acuerdo, creo que es una gran idea.)
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I am disagreeing, I am thinking it’s a great idea.
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You surprised me!(¡Me ha sorprendido!)
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You were surprising me!
