Introduction
Viver means “to live”, and this page covers exactly one thing: viver in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for viver, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about viver in the present. 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. For example: “Ele vive em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “He lives in Lisbon.” Everything on this page uses the forms of viver exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Viver in the Present — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | vivo |
| tu | vives |
| ele/ela | vive |
| nós | vivemos |
| vós | viveis |
| eles/elas | vivem |
| Gerund: vivendo · Past participle: vivido | |
| The gerund is vivendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Vivendo em Lisboa, aprendo muito.” — “While living in Lisbon, I learn a lot.” The past participle is vivido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho vivido is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how viver is used. | |
| 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. |
How the present of viver is formed
The present tense of viver has six forms: eu vivo, tu vives, ele vive, nós vivemos, vós viveis, eles vivem. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. viver is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.
Two things about the present of viver are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning vivemos and viveis pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so vivo can mean both “I live” and “I am living” — context tells the listener which one you mean.
Because viver is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -er endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.
When to use the present of viver
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use viver in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. Habits and routines
The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and viver is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu vivo em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “I live in Lisbon.”
2. General truths
Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about viver does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele vive em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “He lives in Lisbon.”
3. What is happening right now
The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with viver in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós vivemos em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “We live in Lisbon.”
4. Scheduled future events
Portuguese uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu vives em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “You live in Lisbon.”
5. Narration and commentary
In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and viver in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles vivem em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “They live in Lisbon.”
Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
- Present Tense: “Ele vive em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “He lives in Lisbon”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele viveu em Lisboa ontem.” — “He lived in Lisbon”
- The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
- Present Tense: “Eu vivo em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “I live in Lisbon”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu vivi em Lisboa ontem.” — “I lived in Lisbon”
- The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
- Present Tense: “Tu vives em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “You live in Lisbon”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu viveste em Lisboa ontem.” — “You lived in Lisbon”
- The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
Example sentences: viver in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
- “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”
- “Eu vivo em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “I live in Lisbon”
- “Ele vive em Lisboa todos os dias.” — “He lives in Lisbon”
Common mistakes
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
- Wrong: “Eu vives em Lisboa.” Right: “Eu vivo em Lisboa todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is vivo, not vives. vives is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
- Wrong: “Nós vivo em Lisboa.” Right: “Nós vivemos em Lisboa todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form vivemos. vivo belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
- Wrong: “Eu vivo em Lisboa todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu vivi em Lisboa ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito vivi for a finished action yesterday.
- Wrong: “Eu viver em Lisboa.” Right: “Eu vivo em Lisboa todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive viver never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form vivo.
Quiz: test yourself
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
What is the eu form of viver in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) vives
- B) vivo
- C) vive
- D) vivemos
What is the tu form of viver in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) vivo
- B) vive
- C) vives
- D) vivemos
What is the ele/ela form of viver in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) vivo
- B) vives
- C) vivemos
- D) vive
What is the nós form of viver in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) vivemos
- B) vivo
- C) vives
- D) vive
What is the vós form of viver in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) vivo
- B) viveis
- C) vives
- D) vive
What is the eles/elas form of viver in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) vivo
- B) vives
- C) vivem
- D) vive
What is the eu form of viver in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) vives
- B) vive
- C) vivemos
- D) vivo
What is the tu form of viver in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) vives
- B) vivo
- C) vive
- D) vivemos
Answer key
- B) vivo — the correct form is vivo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) vives — the correct form is vives. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) vive — the correct form is vive. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) vivemos — the correct form is vivemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) viveis — the correct form is viveis. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) vivem — the correct form is vivem. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) vivo — the correct form is vivo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) vives — the correct form is vives. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does viver mean in English?
viver means “to live”. It is a regular -er verb.
How is the present tense of viver formed?
The six present forms are: eu vivo, tu vives, ele vive, nós vivemos, vós viveis, eles vivem. viver is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.
When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?
Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
What are the gerund and past participle of viver?
The gerund is vivendo and the past participle is vivido.
Related pages
- viver conjugation — full tables
- viver examples and quiz
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Ser conjugation — another Portuguese verb in this batch.
- Ter conjugation — another Portuguese verb in this batch.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise viver with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise viver with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise viver with the interactive tool.