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Part 1 Β· Episode 11 A2-B1

I Know, I Think, I Want

πŸ“ Stative verbs (know, like, want)

RenΓ© Descartes Β· Descartes thinking πŸ“– 4 min read

Episode 11: I Know, I Think, I Want

Stative Verbs β€” RenΓ© Descartes, 1619 (A2-B1)

Grammar Box

Meaning: Stative verbs describe states, not actions. They talk about thoughts, feelings, and senses. We usually don’t use them with -ing.

Form: Simple form only (know, think, want, like, understand, believe, need, prefer)

Example 1: I know the answer. (not: I am knowing)

Example 2: She loves music. (not: She is loving)

Common mistake: Wrong: I am understanding now. Better: I understand now.

The Question

Luna stared at her notebook. “I am knowing this word…” She stopped. It felt wrong. Her watch began to glow. Professor Wisdom appeared with a gentle smile. “Some verbs are different, Luna. Some verbs describe thoughts and feelings. They don’t change like other verbs do. Come. Let’s meet a man who questioned everything he knew.”

The Journey

The world shifted. Luna found herself in a small, cold room in Germany. Winter, 1619. A young man sat by the fireplace, wrapped in a thick coat. He was RenΓ© Descartes, twenty-three years old. His dark eyes stared at nothing. Papers covered the table. A pen lay still in his hand.

“Who is he?” Luna whispered.

“A mathematician. A scientist. A philosopher,” the Professor said. “But right now, he is a man filled with doubt. He wants to find one truth he can trust. Just one thing he knows for certain.”

Outside, snow fell quietly. The fire crackled. Descartes closed his eyes. For weeks, he had been questioning everything. Can I trust my senses? Can I believe what I see? What if everything is a dream? What if nothing is real?

People had mocked his questions. “Why waste time thinking?” they said. But Descartes couldn’t stop. He needed to understand. He needed to know.

Then, in that cold room, he found it. His answer. His truth.

He opened his eyes. He picked up his pen. He wrote slowly, carefully: “I think, therefore I am.”

If I can doubt, I must exist. If I can think, I am real. This one truth, he knew. This one truth, nobody could take away.

Luna watched his face change. Peace replaced doubt. He had found his starting point. From this moment, modern philosophy was born. The world would never think the same way again.

She could smell the wood burning. She could feel the cold air. She could sense his relief, his joy, his certainty.

The Insight

“Look at what Descartes wrote,” the Professor said. “‘I think.’ Not ‘I am thinking.’ Not ‘I am knowing.’ These verbs describe his mind, his understanding. They don’t describe actions. They describe states of being.”

He continued, “Some verbs talk about what we do. We walk. We eat. We write. But other verbs talk about what we feel, what we understand, what we want. These verbs are different. We don’t usually use them in continuous forms.”

“We say ‘I know the answer.’ We don’t say ‘I am knowing the answer.’ We say ‘I want to learn.’ We don’t say ‘I am wanting to learn.’ These verbs describe states, not actions.”

Practice Zone

More Examples:

  1. “I understand your question now.” β€” A student finally gets it.
  2. “She loves classical music very much.” β€” A lifelong passion.
  3. “Do you believe his story?” β€” Asking about trust.
  4. “I prefer tea to coffee.” β€” Personal taste.
  5. “They need our help right now.” β€” A current necessity.
  6. “He seems tired today.” β€” An observation about appearance.

Exercises:

  1. Fill in the blank: I _____ (know) the answer to this question.

  2. Choose the correct:
    a) I am wanting to go home.
    b) I want to go home.

  3. Match the verb with its meaning:
    – believe β†’ trust something is true
    – need β†’ must have something
    – prefer β†’ like one thing more than another

  4. Complete the sentence: She _____ (like) chocolate ice cream. (Write the correct form)

  5. Your turn: Write a sentence using one of these verbs: know, think, want, understand, believe.

Answer Key:

  1. know (not “am knowing”)
  2. b) I want to go home (not “am wanting”)
  3. believe = trust; need = must have; prefer = like more
  4. likes (not “is liking”)
  5. Check: Did you use the simple form? Did you avoid the -ing form? Examples: “I understand math now.” “I want to travel.” “I believe in kindness.”

The Lesson

They returned to Luna’s room. She smiled. “I know the difference now. Not ‘I am knowing.’ Some verbs talk about the mind and heart. They describe states, not actions.” The Professor nodded. “Yes. And like Descartes, you found certainty through thinking. Understanding grammar is understanding how we express what’s inside us.”