The Imperfect Tense of vivir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo vivía en Madrid cuando era joven. (I used to live in Madrid when I was young.)

Vivir is a regular -ir verb, so its Imperfect conjugations follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Vivir (to live) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of vivir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

Ongoing action in the past: For example, Cuando era niño, vivía en una casa pequeña. (When I was a child, I lived in a small house.)

Repeated or habitual action in the past: For example, De joven, vivía la vida al máximo. (When I was young, I lived life to the fullest.)

Description in the past: For example, En aquel entonces, vivía una vida tranquila. (Back then, I lived a quiet life.)

State of being in the past: For example, Mis abuelos vivían felices en el campo. (My grandparents lived happily in the countryside.)

Colloquial usage: For example, ¡Vivía la vida loca! (I was living the crazy life!)

Examples

Examples of Vivir in the Imperfect Tense

Yo vivía en un pequeño pueblo cuando era niño. (I used to live in a small town when I was a child.)

Ellos vivían una vida sencilla y tranquila. (They lived a simple and peaceful life.)

¿Vivías cerca del centro de la ciudad? (Did you use to live near the city center?)

Nosotros vivíamos al día, sin preocuparnos por el futuro. (We lived day by day, without worrying about the future.)

Tú vivías la vida a tope, ¿no? (You used to live life to the fullest, didn’t you?)

Vosotros vivíais en un barrio muy animado. (You all used to live in a very lively neighborhood.)

Ella vivía con su abuela en un pequeño apartamento. (She used to live with her grandmother in a small apartment.)

Ustedes vivían en una casa enorme, ¿verdad? (You all used to live in a huge house, right?)

¿Vivías cerca de la playa cuando eras joven? (Did you use to live near the beach when you were young?)

Vosotros vivíais al máximo cada momento. (You all used to live every moment to the fullest.)

Ellos vivían como reyes, sin preocupaciones económicas. (They used to live like kings, without financial worries.)

Nosotros vivíamos en un barrio humilde pero lleno de vida. (We used to live in a humble but lively neighborhood.)

Tú vivías al límite, ¿no es cierto? (You used to live on the edge, isn’t that right?)

Ella vivía en una burbuja, ajena a la realidad. (She used to live in a bubble, oblivious to reality.)

Ustedes vivían una vida de lujos y comodidades. (You all used to live a life of luxury and comfort.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Vivir (to live) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.