Les verbes d'etat (stative verbs) ne s'utilisent JAMAIS avec les formes continues (-ing) en anglais standard. Ils s'emploient toujours au present simple, meme pour exprimer un etat actuel.
CATEGORIES DE STATIVE VERBS
| Categorie | Verbes | Exemple correct |
|---|---|---|
| Sentiment / emotion | love, hate, like, prefer, fear, want, wish | I love this project. (pas: I am loving) |
| Mental / opinion | know, think*, believe, understand, remember, forget, realise, mean | She knows the answer. (pas: is knowing) |
| Perception | see, hear, smell*, taste*, feel*, appear, seem, look* | It looks perfect. (pas: is looking) |
| Possession | have*, own, belong, contain, possess, include | He owns a company. (pas: is owning) |
| Etat | be, exist, consist, depend, involve, matter | It depends on the context. |
* Ces verbes peuvent etre dynamiques avec un sens different. Ex: I'm having lunch (action) vs I have a car (possession).
| Verbe | Sens statique (present simple) | Sens dynamique (present continu) |
|---|---|---|
| think | I think it's a good idea. (opinion) | I'm thinking about the proposal. (reflechir) |
| have | She has a meeting room. (possession) | She's having a meeting. (action) |
| see | I see what you mean. (comprendre) | I'm seeing a client tomorrow. (rencontrer) |
| smell | The coffee smells great. (perceptif) | He's smelling the flowers. (action) |
| taste | This tastes wonderful. (perceptif) | The chef is tasting the soup. (action) |
| look | She looks tired. (apparence) | She's looking at the data. (action) |
| feel | I feel confident. (etat) | She's feeling the material. (action) |