Verb · regular -ir
vivir
to live
The thing that catches people out
The model regular -ir verb. Compare it with comer and you will see only the we form differs in the present, vivimos against comemos.
Present
What happens, and what is happening now.
| yo | vivo | |
| tú | vives | |
| él, ella, usted | vive | |
| nosotros | vivimos | |
| ellos, ustedes | viven | |
| vosotros, Spain only | vivís |
Preterite, the finished past
Something that happened and is over: yesterday, last year, once.
| yo | viví | |
| tú | viviste | |
| él, ella, usted | vivió | |
| nosotros | vivimos | |
| ellos, ustedes | vivieron | |
| vosotros, Spain only | vivisteis |
Imperfect, the background past
What used to happen, or was going on when something else happened.
| yo | vivía | |
| tú | vivías | |
| él, ella, usted | vivía | |
| nosotros | vivíamos | |
| ellos, ustedes | vivían | |
| vosotros, Spain only | vivíais |
Future
Will do. In conversation, ir a plus the verb is more common: voy a comer.
| yo | viviré | |
| tú | vivirás | |
| él, ella, usted | vivirá | |
| nosotros | viviremos | |
| ellos, ustedes | vivirán | |
| vosotros, Spain only | viviréis |
Present perfect
Have done. Used far more in Spain, where it covers today; most of Latin America uses the preterite there.
| yo | he vivido | |
| tú | has vivido | |
| él, ella, usted | ha vivido | |
| nosotros | hemos vivido | |
| ellos, ustedes | han vivido | |
| vosotros, Spain only | habéis vivido |
Other forms
The -ing form, the form that follows he, has and ha, and how to tell someone to do it.
| -ing form | viviendo | |
| participle | vivido | |
| command, to tú | vive | |
| command, to usted | viva |
In a sentence
vivo en Londres
I live in London
¿dónde vives?
where do you live?