Vivir (to live) · Preterite
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Vivir in the Spanish preterite (pretérito indefinido) is: yo viví, tú viviste, él/ella/usted vivió, nosotros/as vivimos, vosotros/as vivisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes vivieron. The preterite of vivir is the model regular -ir preterite. The endings are -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron — identical to the -er preterite (comer / vivir share these endings exactly).
| To Live | Vivir |
|---|---|
| I lived | yo viví |
| you lived | tú viviste |
| he/she lived | él/ella/usted vivió |
| we lived | nosotros/as vivimos |
| you lived | vosotros/as vivisteis |
| they lived | ellos/ellas/ustedes vivieron |
Vivir (to live) in context
Sentences that use vivir in the preterite. Tap each to hear it.
I lived in Buenos Aires for two years.
How long did you live there?
My uncle lived in Japan for five years.
We had an incredible experience in Africa.
You lived an unforgettable adventure together.
My great-grandparents lived in another era.
Working with the preterite
The preterite describes a finished past action with a clear boundary — "ayer comí pizza" (yesterday I ate pizza). The key contrast is with the imperfect, which describes ongoing or repeated past actions without a defined endpoint. If you can substitute "used to" or "was doing" in English, you usually want the imperfect; if the action is one-and-done, you want the preterite. The irregular preterites (fui, hice, dije, tuve, vine, supe) are the highest-frequency in Spanish — front-load them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate vivir in the preterite?
Why is 'vivimos' the same in the present and preterite?
When do I use 'viví' instead of 'vivía'?
Practice Vivir (To Live) in real conversations
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