Viver Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

viver — to live — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to live somewhere and to live a life, and it is completely regular: vivo, vives, vive, vivemos, viveis, vivem. It is the verb for where you live, how long you have lived somewhere, and for life itself. On this page you will find viver in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the viver conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the viver present tense page.

Example sentences with viver

In the present tense

  • “Eu vivo em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “I live in Lisbon”
  • “Tu vives em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “You live in Lisbon”
  • “Ele vive em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “He lives in Lisbon”
  • “Nós vivemos em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “We live in Lisbon”
  • “Vós viveis em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “You live in Lisbon”
  • “Eles vivem em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “They live in Lisbon”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu vivi em Lisboa ontem.” — “I lived in Lisbon”
  • “Tu viveste em Lisboa ontem.” — “You lived in Lisbon”
  • “Ele viveu em Lisboa ontem.” — “He lived in Lisbon”
  • “Nós vivemos em Lisboa ontem.” — “We lived in Lisbon”
  • “Vós vivestes em Lisboa ontem.” — “You lived in Lisbon”
  • “Eles viveram em Lisboa ontem.” — “They lived in Lisbon”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu vivia em Lisboa antigamente.” — “I used to live in Lisbon”
  • “Tu viverás em Lisboa amanhã.” — “You will live in Lisbon”
  • “Ele viveria em Lisboa um dia.” — “He would live in Lisbon”
  • “É importante que nós vivamos em Lisboa.” — “It is important that we live in Lisbon”
  • “Vive em Lisboa!” — “Live in Lisbon!”

How viver is used

The first thing to know about viver is its core meaning: to live. It means to live somewhere and to live a life, and it is completely regular: vivo, vives, vive, vivemos, viveis, vivem. It is the verb for where you live, how long you have lived somewhere, and for life itself. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company viver keeps. The present eu form is vivo, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho vivido, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what viver does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need vivo, never viver. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho vivido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle vivido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Viver in context

Eu vivo em Lisboa todos os dias. Tu vives em Lisboa todos os dias. Ele vive em Lisboa todos os dias. Nós vivemos em Lisboa todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of viver is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — vivo, vives, vive, vivemos — while the meaning stays the same: to live. Eu vivi em Lisboa ontem. Tu viveste em Lisboa ontem. Ele viveu em Lisboa ontem. Nós vivemos em Lisboa ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of viver appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to live — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu viver em Lisboa.”

✓ Right: “Eu vivo em Lisboa todos os dias.”

The infinitive viver never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form vivo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu vives em Lisboa.”

✓ Right: “Eu vivo em Lisboa todos os dias.”

vives is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is vivo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu vivo em Lisboa ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu vivi em Lisboa ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito vivi here, not the present vivo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou vivido em Lisboa.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho vivido em Lisboa esta semana.”

viver takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho vivido — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on viver across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of viver in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) vivo
    • B) vives
    • C) vive
    • D) vivemos

  2. What is the eu form of viver in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens vivido
    • B) tem vivido
    • C) tenho vivido
    • D) temos vivido

  3. What is the ele/ela form of viver in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) vivias
    • B) vivíamos
    • C) vivíeis
    • D) vivia

  4. What is the nós form of viver in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) viveremos
    • B) viverei
    • C) viverás
    • D) viverá

  5. What is the tu form of viver in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) viveria
    • B) viverias
    • C) viveríamos
    • D) viveríeis

  6. What is the eu form of viver in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) viveras
    • B) vivéramos
    • C) vivera
    • D) vivéreis

  7. What is the nós form of viver in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) viva
    • B) vivas
    • C) vivais
    • D) vivamos

  8. What is the gerund of viver?

    • A) vivendo
    • B) vivido
    • C) viver
    • D) vivo

  9. What is the past participle of viver?

    • A) vivendo
    • B) vivido
    • C) viver
    • D) vivo

  10. What does viver mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to live
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) vives — the correct form is vives. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho vivido — the correct form is tenho vivido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) vivia — the correct form is vivia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) viveremos — the correct form is viveremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) viverias — the correct form is viverias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) vivera — the correct form is vivera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) vivamos — the correct form is vivamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) vivendo — the correct form is vivendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) vivido — the correct form is vivido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to live — the correct form is to live. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does viver mean in English?

viver means “to live”. You use it whenever you talk about to live in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is viver regular or irregular?

viver is regular. viver is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of viver?

The gerund is vivendo and the past participle is vivido. The perfect tenses use ter + vivido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of viver?

On the viver conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The viver present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for viver, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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