vivre
/vivʁ/
To live in French is vivre.
vivre is used to express the state of being alive or the manner in which one exists, such as a way of life.
Which one should you use?
Use vivre to express being alive or the experience of living. If you mean to reside at a specific address or in a specific city, use habiter instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Canadian French, demeurer is used to mean to live.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of vivre is vécu, which is used to form compound tenses like the passé composé. vécu is generally invariable when used with the auxiliary avoir unless there is a preceding direct object.
How do you pronounce it?
/vivʁ/
Did you know?
- The French word vivre is a distant relative of the English word 'quick', as both stem from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'alive'.
- The irregular stem in the past participle vécu comes from the Latin vīx-. This is the same root that gave English the word 'vicissitude', referring to the changes and shifts of a lived life.
- The expression vive la France! uses the subjunctive mood of vivre to express a wish or a command for the country to endure.
Examples in context
- Je veux vivre ici.I want to live here.This sentence shows how to use vivre to express a desire to live in a location.Tatoeba #4579612 by sacredceltic, translation #2302407 by CK
- Je vais vivre seul.I'm going to live alone.This sentence demonstrates using vivre to describe a future state of living alone.Tatoeba #8185533 by Aiji, translation #7342512 by erixa83
- Je mange pour vivre.I eat to live.This sentence illustrates using vivre to express the purpose of an action.Tatoeba #5150010 by nbrr, translation #5147369 by CarpeLanam
- J'habite à Paris.I live in Paris.
- Je réside à Londres.I live in London.
- Je vis à Montréal.I live in Montreal.
- J'habite à la campagne.I live in the countryside.
- Je demeure au Québec.I live in Quebec.
- Je réside à Genève.I live in Geneva.
- Nous vivons dans une petite ville près de la mer.We live in a small town near the sea.
- Elle habite en France depuis deux ans.She has been living in France for two years.
- Ils résident dans un quartier calme.They reside in a quiet neighborhood.
- 409 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking about their future plans in a cafe.
- HugoTu veux vivre en France ?Do you want to live in France?
- LéaOui, je rêve de vivre là-bas.Yes, I dream of living there.
- HugoC'est une belle façon de vivre.It is a beautiful way to live.
- LéaOui, j'ai hâte de vivre cette aventure.Yes, I can't wait to live this adventure.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry vivre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries vivre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
