Non-Progressive Verbs

Common non-progressive verbs

Here is a list of some common verbs which are not often used in progressive forms.

believe, doubt, feel, imagine, know, dislike, love, hate, prefer, realize, recognize, remember, see, suppose, think, understand, want, wish, appear, hear, look, see, seem, smell, sound, taste, agree, deny, astonish, disagree, impress, mean, please, promise, satisfy, surprise, belong, concern, consist, depend, fit, involve, lack, matter, need, owe, own, possess, weigh, ...

Notes

Feel does not have a progressive form when it means ‘have an opinion’.

• I feel you are making a mistake. (NOT I am feeling you are making a mistake.)

See does not have a progressive form when it means ‘understand’.

• I see what you mean. (NOT I am seeing what you mean.)

Look does not have a progressive form when it means ‘seem’.

• She looks like she is rich. (NOT She is looking like she is rich.)

Weigh does not have a progressive form when it means ‘have weight’.

• He weighs 70 kilos. (NOT He is weighing 70 kilos.)