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Thinking and feeling verbs in English

Useful verbs for thoughts, knowledge, memory, wishes, preferences, hopes and worries.

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How to talk about thoughts and feelings

Know, think, understand, remember and forget describe the mind and memory. Know expresses knowledge, think describes a mental process or opinion, understand expresses comprehension, and remember and forget show whether information stays in your memory.

Believe, hope and want express a belief, expectation or wish. Like and love show different strengths of positive feeling, while worry describes anxiety about a problem or possible event.

Vocabulary

Words in this topic

Use the speaker icon to hear each word in British English.

  • know — to have information or understand something

    know

    IPA: /nəʊ/

    to have information or understand something

  • think — to use your mind or hold an opinion

    think

    IPA: /θɪŋk/

    to use your mind or hold an opinion

  • understand — to know the meaning or reason for something

    understand

    IPA: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/

    to know the meaning or reason for something

  • remember — to keep something in your memory or bring it back to mind

    remember

    IPA: /rɪˈmɛmbə/

    to keep something in your memory or bring it back to mind

  • forget — to fail to remember something

    forget

    IPA: /fəˈɡɛt/

    to fail to remember something

  • believe — to accept that something is true

    believe

    IPA: /bɪˈliːv/

    to accept that something is true

  • hope — to want something to happen and think it is possible

    hope

    IPA: /həʊp/

    to want something to happen and think it is possible

  • want — to wish for something or wish to do something

    want

    IPA: /wɒnt/

    to wish for something or wish to do something

  • like — to find someone or something pleasant

    like

    IPA: /laɪk/

    to find someone or something pleasant

  • love — to feel strong affection or enjoyment

    love

    IPA: /lʌv/

    to feel strong affection or enjoyment

  • worry — to feel anxious about a problem or possible event

    worry

    IPA: /ˈwʌrɪ/

    to feel anxious about a problem or possible event

01

How to remember these words

  1. Study useful contrasts: know — think, remember — forget and like — love.
  2. Add a complete pattern to each verb: know the answer, think about it, hope to win and worry about work.
  3. Write three personal sentences: something you know, something you want and something you hope for.

02

Useful phrases

I know the name, but I always forget the address.

Know describes stored information; forget shows that other information does not stay available.

I hope you remember to call me.

Hope expresses a desired future result, while remember refers to keeping an intended action in mind.

She believes the plan will work and wants to try it.

Believe introduces what she accepts as true; want introduces her intention.

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between know and think?

Know means have a fact or information: I know the answer. Think describes a mental process or opinion: I think it is right.

What is the difference between like and love?

Like means find someone or something pleasant. Love expresses a stronger feeling or especially strong enjoyment.

When do I use hope and want?

Hope means wish for a possible result: I hope it works. Want directly expresses a wish or intention: I want to try.

Explore other topics

Common verbs12 wordsCommunication verbs12 wordsFeelings and emotions12 wordsFamily12 words

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