Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "to live" in Spanish
"To live" in Spanish is vivir, pronounced bee-BEER (stress on the syllable in capitals).
| Spanish | vivir |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | bee-BEER |
| Meaning | to live |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Frequency | #149 in the Palabra list of common Spanish words |
Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Spanish voice.
How to pronounce vivir
Vivir is pronounced bee-BEER, in IPA /biˈbiɾ/. Vivir has two syllables, bee-BEER, with the stress on the second. There is no written accent because the word follows the basic rule: words ending in a consonant other than -n or -s are stressed on the last syllable.
- V is pronounced like b.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Example sentences
Vivo en Madrid
I live in Madrid
Ella vive feliz
She lives happily.
"To live" in Spain and Latin America
Useful phrases
- ¿Dónde vives?
Where do you live?
Regional words and roots: Diccionario de la lengua española (RAE). Spanish varies by region, so treat these as the most common patterns, not strict rules.
How to remember vivir
vivir [bee-BEER] sounds like the English “vivid”. Picture this:
To live vividly: even Tuesday gets confetti if you ask it nicely.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice vivir
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.