How to conjugate vivir in Spanish

vivir is a regular verb. That means this verb does follow the traditional conjugation patterns in all verb tenses.

Let’s learn how to conjugate the verb vivir so you can use it comfortably in all tenses.

vivir in the Present Tense

The present tense is used to talk about actions or events happening now.

The verb vivir is regular in the present tense.

The verb vivir is what we call an -ir verb. -ir verbs are verbs that end in -ir. Regular -ir verbs are conjugated by following 2 major rules.

1. Take off the -ir
2. Replace with a new ending depending on who performs the action.

To review -ir verbs watch my -ir verbs video:

Just in case you need to review conjugation of -er and -ir verbs, Click for Page:

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir in the indicative present tense:

vivir in the Preterite Tense

The preterite is used to talk about actions that have already been completed. These actions have a clear beginning or ending. The preterite tense is often used with phrases that give a specific time frame. More on the Preterite Tense Here

Things to remember:

1. The preterite is NOT used to describe actions or events that are repeated or continuous in the past. That means that those actions do not have a clear beginning or end.
2. The preterite is NOT used to describe people in the past.

The verb vivir is Regular in the preterite. That means it does follow the pattern of regular -ir verbs in the preterite. To review -ir verbs watch my -ir verbs video: Preterite tense er & ir Verbs Spanish- [FREE PDF Handout] Spanish Past Tense (2020)

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir in the preterite tense:

Below are some expressions that are often used when using the preterite:

vivir in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect is a form of past tense. It is primarily used to talk about continuous, repeated, usual or habitual actions in the past. It can also be used to talk about what someone or something was like in the past, what someone used to be or used to do. The imperfect is used when actions don’t have a specific beginning or end.

The verb vivir is regular in the imperfect tense.

The verb vivir is what we call an -ir verb. -ir verbs are verbs that end in -ir. Regular -ir verbs are conjugated by following 2 major rules.

1. Take off the -ir
2. Replace with a new ending depending on who performs the action.

To review how to conjugate -ir verbs in the imperfect watch my video: Click for Video

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir in the imperfect tense:

Below are some expressions that are often used when using the Imperfect:

vivir in the Future Tense

The future is used to talk about an action or event that will happen in the future.

The verb vivir is regular in the future tense.

To form the future tense of regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs add the following endings to the verb in the infinitive (verbs that have not been conjugated and end in -ar, -er, -ir). The verb vivir is in its purest form (it has not been conjugated) it’s in the infinitive.

The verb vivir is what we call an -ir verb. -ir verbs are verbs that end in -ir. To conjugate vivir in the future, follow these two rules:

1. Find the infinitive of the verb (verbs that have not been conjugated and end in -ar, -er, -ir). In this case vivir.
2. Then attach the ending to the end of the infinitive. The ending depends on who is performing the action.

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir using the future tense:

vivir in the Informal Future Tense

The informal future is used to talk about an action or event that is going to take place in the near future. To form the informal future, you must use the correct form of the verb ir (to go) + a + the verb in the infinitive.

The verb vivir is regular in the informal future tense.

Follow this rule:

1. Ir (conjugated) + a + infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir and has not been conjugated). Example : Yo voy a vivir

The conjugation of the verb ir (to go) in the present tense are:

To review how to conjugate the informal future watch my video: Click for Video

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir using the informal future:

vivir in the Present Progressive Tense.

The present progressive is used to talk about actions or events happening now. In other words, we use the present progressive to talk about actions that are in the process of happening at the current moment.

The verb vivir is regular in the present progressive tense.

The present progressive is formed by using the correct form of the verb estar (to be) plus the present participle (-ing form of a verb).

To form the present participle of a verb:

1. Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ir, -er, -ir)
2. Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
3. Add -ando for -ar verbs
4. Add -iendo for -er and –ir verbs

The conjugations of the verb estar in the present tense are:

The present participle of the verb vivir is: abandonando

To review the present progressive and present participles in Spanish, watch my Present Progressive Video:Click for Video

Just in case you need to review the verb estar, watch my Estar video: Click for Video

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir using the present progressive:

vivir in the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense is used to talk about actions or events that may happen in the future. Think of it as a possibility, a hypothesis, a probability.

The verb vivir is regular in the conditional tense.

The verb vivir is what we call an -ir verb. -ir verbs are verbs that end in -ir. To conjugate vivir in the conditional tense follow these two rules:

1. Find the infinitive of the verb (verbs that have not been conjugated and end in -ar, -er, -ir). In this case vivir.
2. Then attach the ending to the end of the infinitive. The ending depends on who is performing the action.

To form the conditional of a verb add the following endings to the infinitive of the verb:

The infinitive of the verb vivir is vivir.

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir using the conditional tense:

vivir in the Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect is used to talk about actions or events that have started recently (in the past) and are still happening. It can also be used to talk about things that have been done recently or to describe experiences a person has had in their lives.

The verb vivir is regular in the Present Perfect tense.

To form the present perfect tense, you must use the helping verb “haber” in the present tense. This will let us know who has performed the action. Then, we add the past participle of the verb.

The conjugations of haber in the present tense are:

To form the past participle of a verb:

1. Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
2. Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
3. Add -ado for -ar verbs
4. Add -ido for -er and –ir verbs

To summarize. Correct form of haber in the present + past participle = present perfect.

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir in the present perfect:

vivir in the Past Perfect Tense (Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto)

The past perfect is used to talk about actions or events that happened before. It is widely used to describe a series of events and it comes in handy to tell stories.

The verb vivir is regular in the past perfect tense.

To form the past perfect you must use the verb haber in the imperfect. This will let us know who has performed the action.

The conjugations of haber in the imperfect tense are:

Then, we add the past participle of the verb. In this case vivir.

To form the past participle of a verb:

1. Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
2. Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
3. Add -ado for -ar verbs
4. Add -ido for -er and –ir verbs

To summarize. Use the correct form of haber in the imperfect + past participle = past perfect.

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir in the past perfect:

vivir in the Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect is used to talk about something that hasn’t happened yet but is predicted to take place. It is used to describe what will have happened in the future.

The verb vivir is regular in the future perfect tense.

To form the future perfect you must use the verb haber in the simple future tense. This will let us know who has performed the action.

The conjugations of haber in the future tense are:

Then, we add the past participle of the verb. In this case vivir. To form the past participle, you simply add the appropriate ending to the stem of the verb.

To form the past participle of a verb:

1. Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
2. Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
3. Add -ado for -ar verbs
4. Add -ido for -er and –ir verbs

To summarize. Correct form of haber in the simple future tense + past participle = future perfect.

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir in the future perfect:

vivir in the Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect is used to talk about an action or event that would have happened in the past but didn’t take place due to another action happening. It is used to express possibility in the past. Basically think of it as actions that could or would have taken place if …

The verb vivir is regular in the conditional perfect tense.

To form the conditional perfect you must use the verb haber in the conditional. This will let us know who has performed the action.

The conjugations of haber in the conditional tense are:

Then, we add the past participle of the verb. In this case vivir. To form the past participle, you simply add the appropriate ending to the stem of the verb.

To form the past participle of a verb:

1. Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
2. Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
3. Add -ado for -ar verbs
4. Add -ido for -er and –ir verbs

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir in the conditional perfect:

vivir in the Subjunctive Present Tense

The Subjunctive present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty. For example emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. The main difference between the subjunctive and the indicative mode is that the subjunctive is uncertain, hypothetical or not real.

The verb vivir is Regular in the subjunctive present form.

To form the subjunctive present of most verbs, you must take off the -o endings of the yo form of the present simple and then add a new ending based on who is performing the action.

Subjunctive present endings for -ar:

Subjunctive present endings for -er and -ir verbs:

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir in the subjunctive present:

vivir in the Subjunctive Imperfect Tense

The subjunctive imperfect is used to talk about situations of uncertainty in the past. For example emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes in the past. It is also used to express politeness or deference, primarily when making a request.

The verb vivir is regular in the subjunctive imperfect tense.

To form the subjunctive imperfect find the ellos/ellas form of the verb in the preterite, take off -iron or -ieron and add a new ending.

Subjunctive Imperfect endings for -er & -ir verbs like he endings are:

You can also use the endings below as alternative endings and the meaning doesn’t change. Keep in mind the ones above are more common:

Here are the steps in action:

1. vivir

1. The third person of the preterite (ellos/ellas) would be: vivir – vivieron

1. Now remove -ieron and you are left with vivie

1. Then, add a new ending.

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir in the subjunctive imperfect:

vivir in the Subjunctive Future Tense

The subjunctive future is used to describe an event or action or a possible or hypothetical situation. It can also be used to describe something you wished or hoped would happen in the future. This tense is rarely used in Spanish but it doesn’t hurt to learn it.

The verb vivir is regular in the subjunctive future tense.

To form the future subjunctive simply add the following endings to the verb in the infinitive (the most pure form of the verb. Verbs in the infinitive have not been conjugated (they end in -ar, -er & -ir)).

Subjunctive Future endings for -ar verbs like vivir the endings are:

Subjunctive Future endings for -er verbs the endings are:

Subjunctive Future endings for -ir verbs the endings are:

Below you will find the conjugations of the verb vivir in the subjunctive future:

vivir in the Subjunctive Present Perfect Tense

The subjunctive present perfect is used to describe actions that are connected to the present. It is also used to talk about actions that will have happened by a certain time in the future.

The verb vivir is regular in the subjunctive present perfect tense.

To form the subjunctive present perfect you must use the present subjunctive of the verb haber + the past participle of the verb.

Here are the conjugations of the verb haber in the present subjunctive:

The past participle of the verb vivir is: vivido

Now, let’s put it together . Here are the conjugations of the verb vivir in the subjunctive present perfect.

vivir in the Subjunctive Past Perfect Tense (Pluscuamperfecto del Subjuntivo)

The subjunctive past perfect is used to talk about hypothetical situations or actions in the past. It can also be used to talk about past actions that preceded other past actions.

The verb vivir is regular in the subjunctive past perfect tense.

To form the subjunctive past perfect you must use the imperfect subjunctive of the verb haber + the past participle of the verb.

The imperfect subjunctive of haber can be conjugated in two different ways. Having said that, the first conjugations are more commonly used.

Here are the conjugations of the verb haber in the imperfect subjunctive of the verb haber:

The other conjugations of haber in the imperfect subjunctive are:

To form the past participle of a verb:

1. Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
2. Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
3. Add -ado for -ar verbs
4. Add -ido for -er and –ir verbs

Let’s apply it to vivir:

1. Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir) = (vivir)
2. Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir) = (viv)
3. Add -ido for -ir verbs = (vivido)

The past participle of the verb vivir is vivido.

Now, let’s put it together . Here are the conjugations of the verb vivir in the subjunctive past perfect.

OR

vivir as an Imperative Affirmative Command

The imperative Affirmative commands are used to tell someone or a group of people what to do. We do not give commands in the 1st or 3rd person which is why yo, él, ella, ellos, and ellas have been removed for this tense.

vivir is Regular when forming Imperative Affirmative Commands.

Mostly we will give commands or tell someone we treat as (tú) what to do. Let’s learn how to conjugate that part first.

To find the Affirmative Informal tú command of a verb follow these steps:

1. Find the tú form of the verb in the present tense.
2. Take off the “s”
3. That will give you the affirmative informal command of a verb in the tú form.

Reminders: Stem changing verbs should continue to have the change in the stem.

For example, The affirmative informal tú command of the verb vivir would be vive.

Let’s see the process:

1. Find the tú form of the verb in the present tense. (vives)
2. Take off the “s”. (vive)
3. That will give you the affirmative informal command of a verb in the tú form. (vive)

To review how to use Affirmative informal (tú) commands watch my video: Click for Video

vivir as an Imperative Negative Command

The imperative Negative commands are used to tell someone or a group of people what NOT to do. We do not give commands in the 1st or 3rd person which is why yo, él, ella, ellos, and ellas have been removed for this tense.

vivir is Regular when forming Imperative Negative Commands.

Mostly we will give commands or tell someone we treat as (tú) what to do. Let’s learn how to conjugate that part first.

To find the Negative Informal tú command of a regular verb follow these steps:

1. Start with No
2. Find the yo form of the verb in the present tense.
3. Take off the “o”
4. Add -es if it’s an -ar verb or -as if it’s an -er or -ir verb.

To review how to use Negative informal (tú) commands watch my video: Click for Video

Posted on Last updated: May 1, 2023