vivre vs habiter

ByFast French

Both vivre and habiter mean “to live” in French, but they are used in slightly different contexts.

1. Vivre – “To live” (in a broader sense)

  • Meaning: Refers to the act of being alive or experiencing life in general. It can describe your way of life, emotions, or existence in a place without specifying a permanent residence.
  • Examples:
    • Je vis en France. → I live in France. (general fact about where you reside)
    • Elle vit heureuse avec sa famille. → She lives happily with her family. (talks about lifestyle or emotional state)
    • Ils vivent dangereusement. → They live dangerously. (refers to their lifestyle)

2. Habiter – “To reside” (more specific)

  • Meaning: Refers specifically to the place where someone resides, like a house, apartment, city, or country.
  • Examples:
    • J’habite à Paris. → I live in Paris. (specific place of residence)
    • Ils habitent dans une grande maison. → They live in a big house. (specific dwelling)
    • Où habites-tu ? → Where do you live? (asking for someone’s specific address or city)

Key Difference:

  • Use vivre for broader, existential, or lifestyle contexts.
  • Use habiter when referring to the physical act of living in a particular place.

In everyday conversation, habiter is more common when talking about where someone lives physically, while vivre is used for broader contexts or to sound a bit more poetic or philosophical

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • eyes, eggs, bones

    ByFast French

    The words for eyes, eggs and bones in French are a little unusual. They either have very different spelling between the singular and the plural, or they have very different pronunciation between the singular and the plural. See the below lists and try out the pronunciations for yourself. Eyes: Eggs: Bones:

  • coûte que coûte

    ByFast French

    The French phrase coûte que coûte literally means “cost what it may” or “whatever it costs.” It expresses determination to achieve something regardless of the cost, difficulty, or risk involved. It is one of the most common French idioms for expressing absolute resolve. It comes from the verb coûter (to cost) and the conjunction que…

  • débarrasser

    ByFast French

    The verb “débarrasser” is a regular -er conjugation verb that means “to clear or remove what clutters or obstructs.” It is also used in its pronominal form, “se débarrasser”, which means “to get rid of.” Meaning and Usage Conjugation of “Débarrasser” The verb “débarrasser” follows the regular conjugation pattern of first-group verbs. Present Tense: “Débarrasser”…

  • save

    ByFast French

    How do you translate “to save” into French? It depends on what you’re saving. If you’re saving someone in the sense of rescuing them, use “sauver.” If you’re saving money by spending less, use “économiser.” If you’re saving money by putting money aside, then use “épargner.” If you’re saving time, use “gagner.” If you’re saving…

  • plus pronunciation

    ByFast French

    In French, the word plus can have different meanings depending on whether the final “s” is pronounced or silent. This small pronunciation change can alter the sense of a sentence significantly. When the “s” is pronounced (plus) When the final “s” in plus is pronounced, it generally means “more” or is used in mathematical addition….