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
leben
to live
To reside in a particular place or have one's permanent residence there.
EXAMPLE
Meine Schwester lebt seit fünf Jahren in Berlin.
My sister has lived in Berlin for five years.
von etwas leben
to live on
To support oneself through a particular source of income or means.
EXAMPLE
Er ist Künstler und lebt vom Verkauf seiner Bilder.
He is an artist and lives on the sale of his paintings.
für etwas leben
to live for
To regard something as the most important meaning or content of one's life; to devote oneself completely to something.
EXAMPLE
Sie ist Musikerin mit Leib und Seele und lebt für die Bühne.
She is a musician through and through and lives for the stage.
leben
to live
To lead a particular kind of life or go through a particular period.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Lottogewinn konnte er endlich in Luxus leben.
After winning the lottery, he could finally live in luxury.
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 wohnen
to live
Leben and wohnen can both name a permanent place of residence. Wohnen specifically refers to the home or the concrete living situation. Leben is broader and can include having one's entire center of life in a place. For an address or apartment, wohnen is therefore usually more precise.
leben
Seit fünf Jahren lebt Nina in Hamburg und hat dort ihren Lebensmittelpunkt.
Nina has lived in Hamburg for five years and has her main base there.
wohnen
Seit fünf Jahren wohnt Nina in Hamburg in einer Wohnung nahe dem Hafen.
Nina has lived in Hamburg for five years, in an apartment near the harbor.
In real life
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