01
leben
to live
To exist as a living being; to be alive.
example
Fische können ohne Wasser nicht leben.
Fish cannot live without water.
leben
to live
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'leben' (to live) is the basis for the noun 'das Leben' (life) and the adjective 'lebendig' (alive/lively). If you know one of these words, you can understand the others more easily.
EXAMPLE
Er führt ein aufregendes Leben.
He leads an exciting life.
Important prepositions
The meaning of 'leben' (to live) changes significantly with the following preposition. 'Leben in' (to live in) describes a place, 'leben von' (to live on) a financial source, and 'leben für' (to live for) a great passion.
EXAMPLE
Er lebt in einer kleinen Wohnung.
He lives in a small apartment.
Place information
When 'leben' (to live) describes a place of residence, it is typically used for larger geographical units such as cities, regions, or countries.
EXAMPLE
Ich würde gerne in Italien leben.
I would like to live in Italy.
Means of support
The construction 'leben von' (to live on) + dative describes what someone uses to finance their livelihood or what they feed on. The source is always in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Als Student musste ich von sehr wenig Geld leben.
As a student, I had to live on very little money.
Expressing passion
With the structure 'leben für' (to live for) + accusative, you express that something is the absolute center of a person's life. The object of passion is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Die Forscherin lebt für ihre Arbeit.
The researcher lives for her work.
Describing lifestyle
To describe a particular way of life, 'leben' (to live) is often combined with adverbs or prepositional expressions.
EXAMPLE
Sie versuchen, sehr bewusst zu leben.
They try to live very consciously.
Compare with
leben vs verdienen
to earn / deserve
'leben' and 'verdienen' can both have to do with money and work, but they do not mean the same thing. 'verdienen' means to receive money for work. 'von etwas leben' means that this money or source is enough to support oneself. So you can earn a lot but still have an expensive lifestyle, or live on a small pension. Learners may confuse the words because in some languages the same expression is used for 'getting money' and 'living on it'. In German, ask: Is someone receiving money? Then use 'verdienen'. Is it enough to live on? Then use 'von etwas leben'.
leben
Johanna lebt von ihrem kleinen Gehalt und muss genau auf ihr Geld achten.
Johanna lives on her small salary and has to watch her money carefully.
verdienen
Am Wochenende verdient sie etwas Geld in einem Restaurant.
On weekends, she earns some money in a restaurant.
In real life
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