What does leben mean in German?

Leben means "to live" in German, in two senses: to be alive (er lebt noch, he is still alive) and to live somewhere as your home (ich lebe in Berlin, I live in Berlin). Capitalized, das Leben is the noun "life".

What is the past participle of leben?

The past participle is gelebt. It uses haben in the perfect tense: ich habe in Spanien gelebt (I lived in Spain). The form is regular, with ge- at the front and -t at the end.

What is the difference between leben and wohnen?

Both translate as "to live", but wohnen refers to your address or housing (ich wohne in einer Wohnung, I live in an apartment), while leben is broader and covers being alive and your life in general (in Deutschland leben, to live in Germany). Use wohnen for a specific place to stay and leben for a country or way of life.

How do you say "I live in..." in German?

For a city or country, both ich lebe in... and ich wohne in... work, as in ich lebe in München or ich wohne in München. For a street or specific home, use wohnen: ich wohne in der Gartenstraße (I live on Gartenstraße).

German Words for Beginners

Verb

leben

Q: How do you conjugate leben in the present tense?

Leben follows the regular -en pattern: ich lebe, du lebst, er/sie/es lebt, wir leben, ihr lebt, sie/Sie leben. It is a weak verb, so the stem never changes its vowel.

to live

Leben (to live) is one of the most common German verbs, and it carries two related meanings: to be alive, and to live somewhere as your home. You'll use it for ich lebe in Deutschland (I live in Germany) and meine Großmutter lebt noch (my grandmother is still alive). It is a regular weak verb with a fully predictable conjugation.

The present tense is ich lebe, du lebst, er/sie/es lebt, wir leben, ihr lebt, sie/Sie leben. The perfect tense uses haben and the regular past participle gelebt: sie hat lange in Wien gelebt (she lived in Vienna for a long time). The simple past is lebte, common in storytelling and writing.

The most useful thing to learn is the difference between leben and wohnen. Both can translate as "to live", but wohnen is specifically about your address or accommodation: ich wohne in der Hauptstraße (I live on Hauptstraße). Leben is broader. It covers being alive and your overall life situation, as in gut leben (to live well) or im Ausland leben (to live abroad). When you point to a country or a way of life, leben fits; when you point to a street or a building, wohnen fits.

The related noun is das Leben (life), capitalized, as in das ist mein Leben (that is my life). The phrase am Leben sein means "to be alive", and leben von means "to live on" or "to live off", as in sie lebt von ihrer Kunst (she lives off her art).

Pronunciation: "LEH-ben", with stress on the first syllable and a long "e" sound, like the "a" in English "lake".

Present tense conjugation of leben

Regular verb

English

to live

ichlebe

dulebst

er/sie/eslebt

wirleben

ihrlebt

sie/Sieleben

Perfekt

ich habe gelebt

Partizip II

gelebt

Auxiliary

haben

Vocabulary lists with leben

leben appears in the following vocabulary collections:

Personal Information & People

Goethe A1 Regular Verbs

Practice leben in games

Example Sentences

Ich lebe in Berlin.
I live in Berlin.
Subject first, verb in position 2.
Wir leben zusammen in einem kleinen Haus.
We live together in a small house.
Attributive adjective needs an ending.
Lebst du allein?
Do you live alone?
In yes/no questions, the verb comes first.

Frequently asked questions about leben

What does leben mean in German?: Leben means "to live" in German, in two senses: to be alive (er lebt noch, he is still alive) and to live somewhere as your home (ich lebe in Berlin, I live in Berlin). Capitalized, das Leben is the noun "life".
How do you conjugate leben in the present tense?: Leben follows the regular -en pattern: ich lebe, du lebst, er/sie/es lebt, wir leben, ihr lebt, sie/Sie leben. It is a weak verb, so the stem never changes its vowel.
What is the past participle of leben?: The past participle is gelebt. It uses haben in the perfect tense: ich habe in Spanien gelebt (I lived in Spain). The form is regular, with ge- at the front and -t at the end.
What is the difference between leben and wohnen?: Both translate as "to live", but wohnen refers to your address or housing (ich wohne in einer Wohnung, I live in an apartment), while leben is broader and covers being alive and your life in general (in Deutschland leben, to live in Germany). Use wohnen for a specific place to stay and leben for a country or way of life.
How do you say "I live in..." in German?: For a city or country, both ich lebe in... and ich wohne in... work, as in ich lebe in München or ich wohne in München. For a street or specific home, use wohnen: ich wohne in der Gartenstraße (I live on Gartenstraße).