Grammar Review: Continuous Tenses and 'State' verbs

Most verbs in English can be used in the present continuous and the present simple, but the meaning is usually different:

Look! She is running for the bus. (= activity happening now)
She runs for the bus every day. (= repeated activity or habit)

I am having a meeting. (= at the moment)
I have meetings every day. (= repeated activity or habit)

Sometimes the difference is to do with length of time:

I am living in Holland. (= at this time of my life)
I live in Holland. (= permanently)

In this case, you can use either continuous or simple present and there is only a small difference in meaning. In other cases, there is a big difference:

I am coming from Spain. (= I am travelling at the moment from Spain)
I come from Spain. (= Spain is my country of origin)

Note: the present continuous is also used to refer to an event in the future:

I am playing football on Saturday afternoon.

State verbs

Some verbs in English are rarely used in the continuous. They are called 'state' verbs - they denote a state of mind or a condition rather than an activity.

Here are some examples:

I love Chinese food.
I like the spring.
I prefer tea to coffee.
I own a car.
The jacket fits me!
Everything seems OK.
I see your point of view.
We welcome all suggestions.
I remember you.

Some verbs which are often used in a 'state' sense can also take the continuous, but the meaning changes:

I think you are right. (= opinion)
I think I will take a day off. (= decision)
I am thinking of applying for the job. (= activity)