vivere

Vivere is an Italian verb meaning to live, to exist, or to reside. It expresses the act of living and appears in phrases about life, lifestyle, and place of residence. Examples in use include vivere bene (to live well), vivere di qualcosa (to live on something), and simple statements such as Io vivo a Roma (I live in Rome).

Etymology and cognates: vivere derives from Latin vivere and has cognates in other Romance languages, including Spanish vivir, French vivre, and Portuguese viver. The verb shares a common semantic field across these languages, centered on life and existence.

Conjugation and common forms: as an -ere verb, vivere provides the standard present tense forms: io vivo, tu vivi, lui/lei vive, noi viviamo, voi vivete, loro vivono. The passato prossimo is formed with avere as the auxiliary and the past participle vissuto: ho vissuto, hai vissuto, ha vissuto, abbiamo vissuto, avete vissuto, hanno vissuto. Imperfect: vivevo, vivevi, viveva, vivevamo, vivevate, vivevano. Future: vivrò, vivrai, vivrà, vivremo, vivrete, vivranno. Subjunctive present: che io viva, che tu viva, che lui viva, che noi viviamo, che voi viviate, che loro vivano. The past historic is rare in speech, and compound tenses use avere as the auxiliary.

Usage notes: vivere also appears in idioms and existential senses, such as vivere di musica (to live on music) or vivere nel presente (to live in the present). The past participle is vissuto, used in compound tenses like ho vissuto.