Before you start
Meet leben
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 9 meanings
- (intransitive) to live, to be alive
- (intransitive) to dwell, to reside
- (intransitive) to live, to exist, to occupy a place
- (intransitive) to live off, subsist (on), to survive (off) [with von (+ dative) ‘a diet or prey’]
- (figurative) to live off, to depend on [with von (+ dative) ‘someone's support’]
- (intransitive, hyperbolic) to cope with, to live with, to deal with [with mit (+ dative)]
Forms
How leben changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | lebe | lebte |
| du | lebst | lebtest |
| er/sie/es | lebt | lebte |
| wir | leben | lebten |
| ihr | lebt | lebtet |
| Sie | leben | lebten |
Partizip II gelebt · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Ich lebe in Berlin.I live in Berlin.present tense
- 2Meine Oma hat lange gelebt.My grandma lived a long time.Perfekt with haben
- 3Ich weiß, dass er hier lebt.I know that he lives here.verb at the end after dass
Verb family
Separable verbs built on leben
Add a prefix to leben and the meaning changes.