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FRENCH VERB

habiter

to live

  • #76 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: habité
  • Present participle: habitant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I live
  2. tu you live
  3. il, elle, on he/she lives
  4. nous we live
  5. vous you live
  6. ils, elles they live

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I lived
  2. tu you lived
  3. il, elle, on he/she lived
  4. nous we lived
  5. vous you lived
  6. ils, elles they lived

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to live
  2. tu you used to live
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to live
  4. nous we used to live
  5. vous you used to live
  6. ils, elles they used to live

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will live
  2. tu you will live
  3. il, elle, on he/she will live
  4. nous we will live
  5. vous you will live
  6. ils, elles they will live

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would live
  2. tu you would live
  3. il, elle, on he/she would live
  4. nous we would live
  5. vous you would live
  6. ils, elles they would live

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I live
  2. tu (that) you live
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she live
  4. nous (that) we live
  5. vous (that) you live
  6. ils, elles (that) they live

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu live!
  2. nous live! (let’s)
  3. vous live! (plural, or formal)

How to use habiter

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    J'habite à Lyon depuis trois ans.

    I've lived in Lyon for three years.

  2. Past

    Ils ont habité ici avant nous.

    They lived here before us.

  3. Imperfect

    On habitait un petit appartement près de la gare.

    We lived in a small flat near the station.

  4. Future

    L'année prochaine, j'habiterai plus près du bureau.

    Next year I'll live closer to the office.

  5. Conditional

    J'habiterais bien au bord de la mer.

    I'd love to live by the sea.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Je ne pense pas qu'elle habite encore ici.

    I don't think she still lives here.

  7. Imperative

    Habitez en ville, vous n'aurez pas besoin de voiture.

    Live in town, you won't need a car.

Good to know

  • Habiter à Paris or habiter Paris : both are said. Vivre is for life in general.

Where you hear habiter

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

French · Beginner Level 1

  • J'habite près de la gare. I live near the station.
  • Avant, j'ai habité à Paris. Before, I lived in Paris.
  • Un jour, je vais habiter en France. One day, I'm going to live in France.

French · Beginner Level 2

  • J'habite près de la gare. I live near the station.
  • Avant, j'ai habité à Paris. Before, I lived in Paris.
  • Un jour, je vais habiter en France. One day, I'm going to live in France.
14
On the Train

Beginner Level 1 · j'habite · tu habites · vous habitez

Needs a subscription 18
Your Family

Beginner Level 1 · ils habitent

Needs a subscription 9
How the Building Works

Beginner Level 2 · nous habitons

Needs a subscription 17
When I Was Little

Beginner Level 2 · j'habitais · vous habitiez · tu habitais · elle habitait

Needs a subscription

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.