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"to live" in seven languages

Meaningto live

Spanish

vivir

/biˈbiɾ/

inherited

French

vivre

/vivʁ/

inherited

For where you live, French prefers habiter: j'habite à Lyon.

Italian

vivere

/ˈvivere/

inherited

Abitare is also very common for an address.

Portuguese

viver

/viˈveh/

inherited

For 'to reside' Brazilians usually say morar, from MORĀRĪ 'to linger'.

Romanian

trăi

/trəˈi/

other source · Slavic trajati 'to last'

'To reside' is locui (locuim la Roma).

Catalan

viure

/ˈbiwɾə/

inherited

English

live

/lɪv/

native English · Old English libban

The native distant cognate of VĪVERE is 'quick', once 'alive' (the quick and the dead), from PIE *gʷeyh₃-.

English → Italianto livevivereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: vivid, revive, survive, vivacious.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

VĪVERE‘to live’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Spanish moved VĪVERE into the -ir class and pronounces both v's as b. For 'where do you live?' French reaches for habiter (HABITĀRE), English inhabit.

English relatives: vivid, revive, survive, vivacious

Sound laws at work

B and V merge in Spanish

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In a sentence

  • esVivimos en Roma.
  • frOn habite à Rome.
  • itViviamo a Roma.
  • ptA gente mora em Roma.
  • roLocuim la Roma.
  • caVivim a Roma.
  • enWe live in Rome.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words