vivre
/vivʁ/
The French phrase vivre means to live.
vivre is used to express the act of being alive or the act of experiencing life.
Which one should you use?
While vivre refers to being alive or experiencing life, the verb habiter is more commonly used when you specifically mean the act of residing in a location.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of vivre is vécu, which is used to form compound tenses such as the passé composé.
How do you pronounce it?
/vivʁ/
Did you know?
- While vivre means to live, the phrase vivre ensemble has become a politically charged term in France. It refers to a specific social ideal of multicultural coexistence and peaceful integration.
- The French verb vivre shares a common ancestor with the English word 'quick' in its archaic sense of being alive. Both derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷeyh₃-, which relates to life and vitality.
- The expression vive la France uses a different mood called the subjunctive. It is not a statement that France is living, but a wish or a command that France 'may live' or 'long live'.
Examples in context
- Je vis avec ma famille à la campagneI live with my family in the countryside
- On crèche dans un petit appart en banlieueWe live in a small apartment in the suburbs
- Il est important de bien vivre.It is important to live well.
- Il est difficile de vivre ici.It is difficult to live here.
- Elle veut vivre une grande aventure.She wants to live a great adventure.
- On peut vivre de l'art.One can live off art.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their future plans in a cafe.
- ChloéOù aimerais-tu vivre plus tard ?Where would you like to live later?
- GabrielJe voudrais vivre au bord de la mer.I would like to live by the sea.
- ChloéC'est un beau projet, Gabriel.That is a beautiful project, Gabriel.
- GabrielMerci Chloé, c'est mon rêve.Thank you Chloé, it is my dream.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry vivre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
