vivre is a French verb meaning "to live." It is used to express living, life experiences, and existence, and is essential for discussing how people live or have lived in various contexts.
- Expresses both the act of living and experiencing life
- Used in various contexts: personal life, lifestyles, historical periods
- A vital verb for advanced and nuanced communication
Conjugation Pattern
vivre is an irregular verb, though it shares a pattern with other verbs like suivre (to follow) in certain forms. Its stem changes slightly in some tenses, and regular patterns apply for some endings.
- Infinitive: vivre
- Stem: viv- (present, future, conditional), vivr- (future, conditional), vécu- (past participle, perfect)
- Similar to some irregular -re verbs
The verb *suivre* (to follow) shares some conjugation similarities with *vivre*.
Present Indicative
| Subject | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | vis | I live |
| Tu | vis | You live |
| Il/Elle/On | vit | He/She/One lives |
| Nous | vivons | We live |
| Vous | vivez | You (pl./formal) live |
| Ils/Elles | vivent | They live |
Usage: Describes how people live or lifestyles in the present.
- Je vis à Paris. → I live in Paris.
- Ils vivent heureux. → They live happily.
The correct present tense form for 'nous' is 'vivons.'
Passé Composé
Auxiliary: avoir
Past Participle: vécu
| Subject | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | ai vécu | I have lived |
| Tu | as vécu | You have lived |
| Il/Elle/On | a vécu | He/She/One has lived |
| Nous | avons vécu | We have lived |
| Vous | avez vécu | You have lived |
| Ils/Elles | ont vécu | They have lived |
Usage: Expresses living (or experiencing life) in a completed action.
- Elle a vécu en Espagne. → She lived (has lived) in Spain.
- Nous avons vécu beaucoup d'aventures. → We have lived through many adventures.
The past participle of *vivre* is 'vécu.'
Imparfait
| Subject | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | vivais | I was living / I used to live |
| Tu | vivais | You were living / used to live |
| Il/Elle/On | vivait | He/She/One was living |
| Nous | vivions | We were living |
| Vous | viviez | You were living |
| Ils/Elles | vivaient | They were living |
Usage: Describes ongoing/past habitual living or states.
- Quand j'étais enfant, je vivais à la campagne. → When I was a child, I lived (used to live) in the countryside.
- Ils vivaient modestement. → They lived modestly (as a habit).
The correct imparfait form is 'Ils vivaient.'
Futur Simple
| Subject | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | vivrai | I will live |
| Tu | vivras | You will live |
| Il/Elle/On | vivra | He/She/One will live |
| Nous | vivrons | We will live |
| Vous | vivrez | You will live |
| Ils/Elles | vivront | They will live |
Usage: Talks about living in the future.
- Nous vivrons à l'étranger. → We will live abroad.
- Tu vivras des moments inoubliables. → You will live unforgettable moments.
The future stem for *vivre* is 'vivr-'.
Conditional
| Subject | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | vivrais | I would live |
| Tu | vivrais | You would live |
| Il/Elle/On | vivrait | He/She/One would live |
| Nous | vivrions | We would live |
| Vous | vivriez | You would live |
| Ils/Elles | vivraient | They would live |
Usage: Expresses hypothetical or polite situations.
- Si j'avais l'occasion, je vivrais à Paris. → If I had the chance, I would live in Paris.
- Vous vivriez mieux ici. → You would live better here.
The correct conditional form for 'nous' is 'vivrions.'
Summary
vivre is an irregular verb essential for expressing life and experiences in French, with unique forms in key tenses.
- Present: je vis, nous vivons (I live, we live)
- Passé Composé: avoir + vécu (j'ai vécu — I have lived)
- Imparfait: vivais, vivions (I was living/we were living)
- Futur: vivrai, vivrons (I will live/we will live)
- Conditional: vivrais, vivrions (I would live/we would live)