leben – to live
- Meaning: to live, exist, experience life
- Type: regular verb
- Stamm (stem): leb-
- Usage: Describes the act of living, being alive, or existing. Can be used for people, animals, and sometimes situations (e.g., a culture or tradition living on).
Conjugation: Present Tense (Präsens)
| Person | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ich | lebe | I live |
| du | lebst | you live (sing.) |
| er/sie/es | lebt | he/she/it lives |
| wir | leben | we live |
| ihr | lebt | you live (pl.) |
| sie/Sie | leben | they/you live |
- leben follows the standard -en verb pattern: lebe, lebst, lebt, leben, lebt, leben.
Conjugation: Simple Past (Präteritum)
| Person | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ich | lebte | I lived |
| du | lebtest | you lived |
| er/sie/es | lebte | he/she/it lived |
| wir | lebten | we lived |
| ihr | lebtet | you lived (pl.) |
| sie/Sie | lebten | they/you lived |
- The stem receives -te- for past: lebte..., lebten...
Conjugation: Past Participle (Partizip II)
- gelebt (used with haben for perfect: ich habe gelebt - I have lived)
Conjugation: Imperative
| Form | Conjugation | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| du | leb! | live! (sing.) |
| ihr | lebt! | live! (pl.) |
| Sie | Leben Sie! | Live! (formal) |
- Imperative uses the stem for du (minus -st): leb!, lebt!, Leben Sie!
Usage Examples
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich lebe in Berlin. | I live in Berlin. |
| Lebst du gesund? | Do you live healthily? |
| Wir lebten damals dort. | We lived there back then. |
The verb 'leben' means 'to live' in English.
The correct forms are 'lebst' for du and 'lebt' for ihr.
The past participle of 'leben' is 'gelebt'.
Yes, 'leben' can be used for both people and animals.
'haben' is used with 'leben' for the perfect tense.
The correct forms are 'lebte' for ich and 'lebten' for wir.
Conclusion
leben is a versatile, regular German verb meaning "to live," and can be applied to people, animals, and abstract concepts.
- Regular -en verb with stem leb-
- Present: ich lebe, du lebst, er lebt...
- Past: lebte, lebtest, lebten...
- Participle: gelebt (with haben)
'leben' is a regular verb.
The stem for 'leben' is 'leb-'.
Yes, 'leben' can be used metaphorically to describe things like a culture or tradition that 'lives on.'