Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| vivant | /vi.vɑ̃/ |
| en vie | /ɑ̃ vi/ |
Both terms refer to the state of being alive, but they are used in different contexts. Use vivant to describe something that possesses the quality of life, such as a living creature or a vibrant atmosphere. Use en vie to describe the state of being alive, often in the context of surviving a dangerous situation or a close call.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase en vie is literally composed of the preposition en (in) and the noun vie (life).
Which one should you use?
vivant is used for the quality of being a living creature, whereas en vie is used to denote survival.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective vivant must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies: use vivante for feminine nouns, vivants for masculine plural nouns and vivantes for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
vivant is pronounced /vi.vɑ̃/ and has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The Latin root of vie is related to the word for 'way', showing that life was historically conceptualized as a journey or a path.
- The French word vivant can be used as a noun to refer to 'living beings' in general.
- The adjective vivant is actually the present participle of the verb vivre, meaning it functions grammatically as 'living'.
Examples in context
- Tu es en vie ?Are you alive?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is alive using en vie.Tatoeba #7204850 by Micsmithel, translation #2244930 by CK
- Tom est en vie.Tom's alive.This sentence is useful for stating that someone is alive using en vie.Tatoeba #5299462 by pititnatole, translation #2107445 by CK
- Je suis en vie.I'm alive.This sentence is useful for stating that you are alive using en vie.Tatoeba #5834925 by Yemana, translation #5828690 by CK
- Mon grand-père est toujours vivant.My grandfather is still alive.
- Le tigre est un animal vivant.The tiger is a living animal.
- Le patient est toujours en vie.The patient is still alive.
- Nous avons réussi à rester en vie pendant cette tempête.We managed to stay alive during that storm.
- Regardez-le courir, il est en pleine forme !Look at him run, he's full of life!
- Malgré son âge, il est toujours en pleine forme.Despite his age, he's still full of life.
- 285 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are looking at a small plant in a pot.
- EmmaEst-ce que ce petit cactus est encore vivant ?Is this little cactus still alive?
- LucasOui, Lucas pense qu'il est vivant.Yes, Lucas thinks it is alive.
- EmmaIl a l'air très sec.It looks very dry.
- LucasMais il reste vivant avec un peu d'eau.But it stays alive with a little water.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “alive” translations and entries vivant, en vie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, vie, vivant, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
