Skip to content
fluentbyear

FRENCH VERB

vivre

to live

  • #36 most used
  • Irregular -re verb
  • Past participle: vécu
  • Present participle: vivant

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 vivre

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

  1. Present

    Mes parents vivent à la campagne depuis dix ans.

    My parents have lived in the countryside for ten years.

  2. Past

    J'ai vécu deux ans à Marseille avant Lyon.

    I lived in Marseille for two years before Lyon.

  3. Imperfect

    On vivait dans un petit appartement sans ascenseur.

    We lived in a small flat with no lift.

  4. Future

    Un jour, je vivrai au bord de la mer.

    One day I'll live by the sea.

  5. Conditional

    Tu vivrais à l'étranger, toi ?

    Would you live abroad?

  6. Present subjunctive

    C'est important qu'on vive près de nos amis.

    It's important that we live near our friends.

  7. Imperative

    Vis ta vie et ne t'inquiète pas trop !

    Live your life and don't worry too much!

Good to know

  • Vivre is to live in the sense of a life; habiter is only where you live.

Where you hear vivre

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

French · Beginner Level 2

  • Nous vivons ici depuis trente ans. We've lived here for thirty years.
  • J'ai vécu à Chicago pendant vingt-huit ans. I lived in Chicago for twenty-eight years.
  • Je vais vivre en France. I'm going to live in France.
2
The Interview

Beginner Level 2 · vivre

Free

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -re verb.