vivir
intransitive verb
1 (estar vivo) to live
los elefantes viven muchos años elephants live long lives; elephants live for many years; mientras yo viva as long as I live
todavía vive he's still alive
2 (pasar la vida) to live
solo vive para la música music is her whole life; she only lives for music; siempre he vivido honradamente I have always lived an honest life
ahora ya puedes vivir tranquila now you can relax; desde que me subieron el sueldo no vivo tan mal since I had a pay rise I haven't been that badly off; vivieron felices y comieron perdices they lived happily ever after
vivir bien to live well
en este país se vive bien people live well in this country; people have a good life in this country
vivir del cuento to live on o by one's wits
vivir para ver you live and learn
3 (disfrutar de la vida)
no vivo de la intranquilidad que tengo I'm worried to death; no podía vivir de la vergüenza the shame of it was killing him
no dejar vivir a algn
su marido no la deja vivir her husband is always on at her (familiar); her husband doesn't give her a moment's peace
los dolores no me dejan vivir the pain never lets up; los celos no la dejan vivir she is eaten up with jealousy
saber vivir to know how to live
tú sí que sabes vivir you really know how to live
4 (habitar) to live
en esa casa no vive nadie nobody lives in that house; estuve viviendo un año en Londres I lived in London for a year; ¿vives sola? do you live on your own?
viven juntos (como pareja) they live together; (compartiendo casa) they live together; they share a house (together)
5 (subsistir)
con lo que gano no me llega para vivir what I earn is not enough to live on; la fotografía no me da para vivir I can't make o earn a living from photography; photography doesn't give me enough to live on; viven por encima de sus posibilidades they live beyond their means
vivir de algo to live on sth
vive de la caridad he lives on charity
yo vivo de mi trabajo I work for a living; vive de ilusiones he lives in a dream world
vivir al día to live from day to day
vivir de la pluma to live by one's pen
vivir de las rentas to have a private income
publicó un libro hace años y desde entonces vive de las rentas years ago he published a book and he's lived off it o lived on the strength of it ever since
transitive verb
1 (experimentar) [+guerra, periodo difícil] to live through; go through
nosotros no vivimos la época del comunismo we didn't live through the communist era; la época que nos ha tocado vivir the age in which we happen to live; ha vivido momentos de verdadera angustia she went through moments of real agony
tú dedícate a vivir la vida go ahead and live life to the full o get the most out of life
(forma de vida) (way of) life
el buen vivir the good life
de mal vivir
una mujer de mal vivir a loose woman; gente de mal vivir undesirable people