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ITALIAN VERB

vivere

to live

  • #38 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: vissuto
  • Gerund: vivendo

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I live
  2. tu you live
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she lives
  4. noi we live
  5. voi you all live
  6. loro they live

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I lived
  2. tu you lived
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she lived
  4. noi we lived
  5. voi you all lived
  6. loro they lived

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to live
  2. tu you used to live
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to live
  4. noi we used to live
  5. voi you all used to live
  6. loro they used to live

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will live
  2. tu you will live
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will live
  4. noi we will live
  5. voi you all will live
  6. loro they will live

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would live
  2. tu you would live
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would live
  4. noi we would live
  5. voi you all would live
  6. loro they would live

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I live
  2. tu (that) you live
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she live
  4. noi (that) we live
  5. voi (that) you all live
  6. loro (that) they live

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi

  1. tu live!
  2. Lei live! (formal)
  3. noi live! (let’s)
  4. voi live! (all of you)

How to use vivere

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

  1. Present

    Vivo a Bologna da tre anni.

    I've been living in Bologna for three years.

  2. Past

    Hanno vissuto a Londra prima di sposarsi.

    They lived in London before getting married.

  3. Imperfect

    Quando vivevo con i miei, non cucinavo mai.

    When I lived with my parents, I never cooked.

  4. Future

    Un giorno vivremo vicino al mare.

    One day we'll live by the sea.

  5. Conditional

    Vivrei benissimo senza telefono per una settimana.

    I'd live perfectly well without a phone for a week.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Mi sembra che viva ancora con la madre.

    I think he still lives with his mother.

  7. Imperative

    Vivi la tua vita e non ascoltare nessuno.

    Live your life and don't listen to anyone.

Good to know

  • Vivere is to live, to be alive; for where you live, abitare is just as common: abito a Roma.
  • The passato prossimo takes avere, ho vissuto, or essere, sono vissuto; both are correct.

Where you hear vivere

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

Italian · Intermediate Level 2

  • Vivo a Fontelupo. I live in Fontelupo.
  • Ho vissuto dieci anni a Boston. I lived ten years in Boston.
  • Vivremo insieme. We'll live together.

Italian · Intermediate Level 3

  • Vivo a Fontelupo. I live in Fontelupo.
  • Ho vissuto dieci anni a Boston. I lived ten years in Boston.
  • Vivremo insieme. We'll live together.
19
Pietro's Question

Intermediate Level 2 · E vivresti qui, con me? · Allora sì. Vivrei qui con te.

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Laura's Proposal

Intermediate Level 3 · Tenere la casa? E chi ci vivrebbe? · Io. Potrei viverci io, con Pietro.

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The Family Tree

Advanced Level 1 · Tre figli, di cui due vivono a Roma.

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The Power of Attorney

Advanced Level 1 · Notaio, mia cugina firmerà. Ma vive a Buenos Aires.

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The Interview

Advanced Level 2 · Come ha vissuto questi giorni?

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Laura's Speech

Advanced Level 2 · Mi ha insegnato a vivere piano.

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Verbs like this one

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