Enseignante: Cirine Zouaidi
So, in English we have some verbs that sometimes cannot be put in the continuous.
Example: I am hating you (Incorrect)
I am wanting some food. (Incorrect)
-We call these verbs stative verbs
These verbs often describe states rather than actions, (the other verbs are action verbs)
Stative verbs often relate to:
 Thoughts and opinions (verbs of mind) : agree, disagree, believe, know, recognize, imagine,
mean believe, remember, think, understand
 Feelings and emotions: like, dislike, hate, love, prefer, want, wish
 Senses and perceptions: appear, be, feel, hear, look, see, seem, smell, taste
 Possession and measurement: belong, have, measure, own, possess, weigh.
But of course there are exceptions, as everything in life.
1-I think it’s a good idea to go for a walk
It is an action in progress, actively processing the plans
2-I am thinking about my plans tomorrow
As you can see, I used think in the progressive and the sentence is grammatically correct.
The idea is behind the meaning of the sentence
Expresses an opinion
Other examples:
To have
I have a new car. (Possession)
I'm having a quick break before the next course. (Having a break is an activity)
See
Do you see any problems with that? (Opinion)
We're seeing Mark tomorrow at lunch. (We’re meeting him/plan)
To be
He's so interesting! (His quality)
He's being very unhelpful. (Temporarily behaving this way)
Taste
This coffee tastes delicious. (My perception of the coffee)
The chef is tasting the soup. (Tasting the soup is an activity)