Vivir (to live) · Imperfect
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Vivir in the Spanish imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) is: yo vivía, tú vivías, él/ella/usted vivía, nosotros/as vivíamos, vosotros/as vivíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes vivían. The imperfect of vivir is the model regular -ir imperfect. All forms take -ía endings, identical to -er verbs. The accent on 'í' breaks the i-vowel hiatus.
| To Live | Vivir |
|---|---|
| I used to live | yo vivía |
| you used to live | tú vivías |
| he/she used to live | él/ella/usted vivía |
| we used to live | nosotros/as vivíamos |
| you used to live | vosotros/as vivíais |
| they used to live | ellos/ellas/ustedes vivían |
Vivir (to live) in context
Sentences that use vivir in the imperfect. Tap each to hear it.
Before, I used to live on the coast.
You used to live very close to my house.
My grandmother used to live in a little yellow house.
We all used to live on the same street.
You used to live very happily in that village.
The kings used to live in a huge castle.
Working with the imperfect
The imperfect paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Era de noche" (it was nighttime), "tenía cinco años" (I was five years old), "iba al parque cuando me llamaste" (I was going to the park when you called me). Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect — ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía). Every other Spanish verb is regular here, which makes the imperfect one of the easiest tenses to learn.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate vivir in the imperfect?
When do I use 'vivía' instead of 'viví'?
Is vivir's imperfect ever irregular?
Practice Vivir (To Live) in real conversations
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