Skip to content

vivir

to live

verb bee-BEER Common

Also means

to reside

Usage Note

Vivir covers both 'to be alive' and 'to reside somewhere'; context distinguishes the two. It contrasts with residir, which is more formal and administrative. The exclamation ¡Viva! ('Long live!') is the present subjunctive used as a cheer or wish.

Examples

"Ella vive en Madrid desde hace años."

Natural Translation

She has lived in Madrid for years.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Spanish by topic