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Verbs Derived From 'Vivir'

And a Few Nouns, Too

By , About.com Guide

Like many other verbs, vivir, typically meaning "to live," can be used with prefixes to create verbs with related meanings. Here are some of the most common:

bienvivir — to live well (especially to live comfortably or honorably). Bienvivimos en el primer mundo. We live comfortably in the First World. (This word is uncommon; the phrase vivir bien is much more typical.)

convivir — to live with, to coexist. Mi esposo y yo no convivimos. My husband and I don't live together. Una persona muy querida para mí convive con la diabetes. A person very dear to me lives with diabetes. En mi país, el budismo convive con el animismo. In my country, Buddhism coexists with animism. (Related words: el/la conviviente, a person someone lives with; la conviviencia, coexistence, the act of living together.)

desvivirse — to devote oneself fully to someone or something, to live for. Me desvivo por mirarte. I live for seeing you.

malvivir — to live poorly. Jorge malvive en un sucio y apestoso apartamento sin servicio eléctrico. Jorge lives poorly in a filthy and smelly apartment without electricity.

pervivir — to survive in the sense of living beyond the expected time or despite difficulties. Créase o no, la tradición pervivió hasta los setentas. Believe it or not, the tradition survived until the '70s.

revivir — to relive, to revive. Quiero revivir lo que me pasó. I want to relive what happened to me. Tony Vega revivió la salsa romántica. Tony Vega revived the romantic salsa.

sobrevivir — to survive. David y Ana sobrevivieron un accidente de coche. David and Ana survived a car accident. (Related words: el/la sobreviviente, survivor; la sobreviviencia, survival.)

Note that all of these verbs are conjugated regularly.

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