"I've been knowing him for years"?

I'm afraid that your teacher is right-- in your grammar book there should be a section on verbs that we do not usually use in progressive forms. Some of them are: like, love, need, prefer, know, seem, mean, own, etc. They are mostly verbs of sensations and mental states.

Agree. It must be, "I've known him for years".

Let me add some more verbs which cannot be used in progressive forms:

hate, want, wish, desire, see, hear, feel, notice, understand, remember, forget, believe, recognize, appear, possess, contain, consist, etc.

By the way, Mister Micawber, I wonder if the verb wonder may be used in progressive. Can I sa

RuslanaBy the way, Mister Micawber, I wonder if the verb wonder may be used in progressive. Can I say, "I am (was) wondering if this phrase is (was) acceptable"? It is a progressive form here, isn't it? I have seen such constructions before but I am not sure they are correct (in BrE).

Yes, you can use it there. Also considering, thin

Mister MicawberI'm afraid that your teacher is right-- in your grammar book there should be a section on verbs that we do not usually use in progressive forms. Some of them are: like, love, need, prefer, know, seem, mean, own, etc. They are mostly verbs of sensations and mental states.

I thank you for that list, but it still doesn't mean m

I said, 'we do not usually use' them in progressive forms. Most of them also occur thus. They are usually used non-continous forms, I suppose, because they represent non-physical states: they are feelings, not actions, and show no activity (relatively speaking).

Perhaps Paco has a more definitive answer for you.

Anon#1, just memorize this peculiarity of English language.

Anon#2, thank you.

Either you know a person or you don't. It's not a voluntary act from you. You cannot decide to engage in the process of "knowing", then stop it. It's an "either / or" situation, same as "to like, love, understand, believe, forget, remember, etc, etc..."

PieanneEither you know a person or you don't. It's not a voluntary act from you. You cannot decide to engage in the process of "knowing", then stop it. It's an "either / or" situation, same as "to like, love, understand, believe, forget, remember, etc, etc..."

?My father died 4 years ago. I'm slowly forgetting him.

?I've never stopped believ

Anonymous
?My father died 4 years ago. I'm slowly forgetting him.

?I've never stopped believing in her.

?I'm remembering the time we went to Monaco.

Yes, there are always exceptions to the rules, or explanations to particular uses/meanings of the verbs...

My father died 4 years ago. I'm slowly forgetting him.

Why is it that those verbs are not used in the progressive form?

It has to do with how English treats verbs portraying states and achievements. The core meaning of such verbs is communicated when the simple tenses are used. A special shade of meaning is conveyed when the progressive tenses are used (if they are used at all for a particular verb). [Google Vendler,