LIVE like GIVE: /lɪv/

I live in Chicago · she lives · we lived · living · live with · live up to

MiClase Home Grammar Index

1. The sound: live = /lɪv/

live

rhymes with

give

/lɪv/ = L + short “i” + V

How to make the sound

L — Tongue tip up behind your top teeth.
i — A short, relaxed sound, like in sit, big, and give. Don’t smile wide. Don’t stretch it. Keep it quick!
V — Top teeth on your bottom lip, voice ON. Feel the buzz.

Rhyme family — click and repeat

⚠️ Don’t stretch it! A long “ee” changes the word:
live /lɪv/ ≠ leave /liːv/ · living ≠ leaving
“I want to live here.” is very different from “I want to leave here.”

💡 The spelling live can also sound like five (live music). On this page, every live is the verb and sounds like give.

2. Forms of the verb

Form	Use	Example
live	I / you / we / they	I live in Chicago.
lives	he / she / it	She lives on the second floor.
lived	past	We lived in Guadalajara for ten years.
living	-ing	They are living with friends this month.
have / has lived	present perfect	He has lived here since 2021.
have / has been living	perfect continuous	I have been living in this apartment for six months.

🔊 lives ends with a z sound: /lɪvz/.
🔊 lived has one syllable: /lɪvd/ = “livd.” Don’t say “liv-ed.”

3. Live + little words

Phrase	Use it for…	Example
live in	a city, country, neighborhood, building, apartment	I live in Chicago.
live on	a street, a floor, an island	She lives on Clark Street.
live at	an exact address	They live at 4120 North Broadway.
live with	people or pets	He lives with his grandmother.
live near / next to	a place close by	We live near the lake.
live on (money)	use this money or food to survive	They live on one salary.
live through	survive a hard time	My parents lived through a war.
live up to	be as good as people expect	The movie didn't live up to the hype.
live it up	have lots of fun, enjoy life	On vacation, we really lived it up!
live and learn	we learn from our mistakes	I forgot my umbrella again. Oh well, live and learn!

More GIVE-sound words

Housing in this city is expensive, but the cost of living is lower than in New York.

My grandmother outlived all of her sisters.

4. Activity: Live or Leave? 👂

First, practice the pairs. Then click ▶ Play. Did you hear A or B?

live vs leave lives vs leaves living vs leaving fill vs feel sit vs seat

5. Activity: Preposition Pick 📍

6. Activity: Time Machine ⏳

Choose the correct form of live.

7. Say It! 🗣️

Shadowing

Click 🔊, listen, then repeat. Keep the i short and quick.

I live in Chicago.

She lives on the second floor.

We've lived here for two years.

Where do you live?

Who do you live with?

Live and learn!

Interview a partner

Where do you live? Do you live in a house or an apartment?
How long have you lived there?
Who do you live with?
Where did you live before you came to the United States?
Is it easy or hard to make a living in your city?
Where would you like to live in ten years? Why?

Next: Sentence Building (live like give) →

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