Verbs We Don't Usually Use in the Continuous

There are some verbs which we don't normally use in the present continuous:

• Verbs of thinking: believe, understand, know, think, mean, hope.
• Verbs of liking and not liking: like, hate, love, want, need, prefer.
• Verbs of owning: own, belong, have.
• Verbs to describe sensations: see, feel, hear, smell, taste.

However, we can use the present continuous to say how someone looks or feels now.

We often use can with these verbs.

When think means 'have an opinion' about something, we do not use the continuous.

However, when think means 'consider', we use the continuous.