vivía
vee-BEE-ah
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Cuando era niño, yo vivía en el campo.
A1When I was a child, I used to live in the countryside.
Mi abuela vivía sola en esa casa antigua.
A2My grandmother lived alone in that old house (describing a past situation).
Ella vivía muy preocupada por el futuro de sus hijos.
B1She was living (feeling) very worried about her children's future.
💡 Grammar Points
The Imperfect Tense's Job
The form 'vivía' is the Imperfect tense, which paints a picture of the past by describing ongoing situations or actions that happened repeatedly (like habits).
Dual Personality
'Vivía' is tricky because it can mean 'I used to live' (yo) or 'He/She/It/You (formal) used to live' (él/ella/usted). You must rely on the context or the pronoun to know who is doing the action.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Imperfect vs. Preterite
Mistake: "Usando 'Yo viví en Madrid' para decir 'I used to live in Madrid.'"
Correction: Use 'Yo vivía en Madrid.' The preterite ('viví') means you lived there for a specific, completed time (like 'I lived there for two years'), while the imperfect ('vivía') describes the general habit or continuous state.
⭐ Usage Tips
Focus on the Habit
If you are talking about something you did regularly in the past (e.g., every summer, every day), 'vivía' is almost always the right choice.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: vivía
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'vivía' to describe a repeated action in the past?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'vivía' mean both 'I used to live' and 'he used to live'?
This is common in Spanish verb conjugations! Unlike English, the 'yo' (I) and 'él/ella/usted' (he/she/you formal) forms are often exactly the same in the Imperfect tense. You usually figure out who is being discussed based on the context of the conversation.