Vivir means 'to live', and it is the textbook regular -ir verb — the third and final regular conjugation pattern in Spanish. Learn vivir and you have the blueprint for every regular -ir verb. It is essential vocabulary: you use it to say where you live (vivo en Londres) and to talk about life more broadly. Conveniently, -ir and -er verbs share most of their endings, so once you know comer, vivir is almost free. To say how long you have lived somewhere, Spanish often prefers llevar + time + gerund (llevo cinco años viviendo aquí) rather than a literal translation — a neat structure that impresses examiners.
Quick facts
Vivir (to live) is a regular -ir verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Vivo en Londres (I live in London).
Llevo cinco años viviendo aquí (I've lived here five years).
Vivir una experiencia (to have / live an experience).
The textbook regular -ir verb.
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Vivir is a model regular -ir verb. The preterite (viví, viviste, vivió) and the present perfect (he vivido) are both regular. Use vivir en for places (vivo en Londres) — and note that to say how long, you can use llevar + gerund: llevo cinco años viviendo aquí.
vivir is a regular -ir verb — it follows the standard -ir pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know vivir, you know the template for all regular -ir verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice vivir now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: vivo, tú: vives, él: vive, nosotros: vivimos, vosotros: vivís, ellos: viven
The past participle is vivido (he vivido) and the gerund is viviendo (estoy viviendo).
Vivir is on the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.