malvivir

to barely get by

malvivir

intransitive verb

1. (general)

a. to barely get by

Julio y Cata malviven con la poquita ayuda que les dan sus padres.

Julio and Cata barely get by with the little help their parents give them.

b. to scrape by

Durante la Gran Depresión, mis abuelos malvivían con menos de $120 al mes.

During the Great Depression, my grandparents scraped by on less than $120 a month.

c. to scrape out a living

El miserable salario que me pagan apenas me da para malvivir.

The meager salary I get is barely enough to scrape out a living.