Live past tense

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Meaning of live

reside in a particular place.

Infinitive

Word: live: /lɪv/
Examples:
  • 1. They live in a small apartment in the city center.
  • 2. I live within walking distance from my workplace.
  • 3. She lives alone but maintains a vibrant social life.

Past Simple

Word: lived /lɪvd/
Examples:
  • 1. I lived in New York for a year when I was a student.
  • 2. They lived in a small apartment before buying their house.
  • 3. We lived through some challenging times during the early part of our careers.

Past Participle

Word: lived /lɪvd/
Examples:
  • 1. The play has been lived out on stages across the world for centuries.
  • 2. By many, a fulfilling life has been lived, full of adventure and love.
  • 3. Their experiences had been lived through stories told to generations.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions or routines.
    Example. I live in New York. It's where I work and spend most of my days.
    Example. Humans live on Earth.
    Example. The new exhibition live at the museum next Monday.
  2. General truths or facts.
    Example. I live in New York. It's where I work and spend most of my days.
    Example. Humans live on Earth.
    Example. The new exhibition live at the museum next Monday.
  3. Scheduled events in the near future (especially for timetables or programs).
    Example. I live in New York. It's where I work and spend most of my days.
    Example. Humans live on Earth.
    Example. The new exhibition live at the museum next Monday.

Past Simple

  1. Actions completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. I lived in London for two years when I was a student.
    Example. We lived next door to each other until 20
    Example. She finished her homework, lived a little by watching TV, and went to bed early.
  2. Past habits or routines no longer in practice.
    Example. I lived in London for two years when I was a student.
    Example. We lived next door to each other until 20
    Example. She finished her homework, lived a little by watching TV, and went to bed early.
  3. Sequential actions in the past.
    Example. I lived in London for two years when I was a student.
    Example. We lived next door to each other until 20
    Example. She finished her homework, lived a little by watching TV, and went to bed early.

Past Participle

  1. Present perfect tense (to describe actions or situations that have occurred at an unspecified time before now or actions that started in the past and continue in the present).
    Example. I have lived in several cities throughout my life.
    Example. By the time she moved to France, she had lived in three different countries.
    Example. The oldest house in the neighborhood was lived in by the mayor in the 1800s.
  2. Past perfect tense (to describe actions or situations that were completed before some other past action or situation).
    Example. I have lived in several cities throughout my life.
    Example. By the time she moved to France, she had lived in three different countries.
    Example. The oldest house in the neighborhood was lived in by the mayor in the 1800s.
  3. Passive voice constructions (to describe actions where the focus is on the action, not who or what is performing the action).
    Example. I have lived in several cities throughout my life.
    Example. By the time she moved to France, she had lived in three different countries.
    Example. The oldest house in the neighborhood was lived in by the mayor in the 1800s.

Common mistakes

— 01

Regular Verb Formation

A common mistake when using the past simple and past participle forms of the verb 'live' is treating it as an irregular verb. Unlike irregular verbs, which can change dramatically in their past forms (e.g., go/went/gone), 'live' follows a regular verb pattern, simply adding -d or -ed for both its past simple and past participle forms. The correct forms are 'lived' for both past simple and past participle.

— 02

Misuse in Perfect Tenses

Another frequent error is misapplying the past participle form in perfect tenses. The correct construction for present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses involves the auxiliary verb 'have' plus the past participle 'lived.' A mistake occurs when users substitute the past simple 'lived' where the past participle is required, leading to sentences that grammatically miss the mark. For example, saying 'I have live in this city for five years' instead of the correct 'I have lived in this city for five years.'

— 03

Confusion with Adjective

Lastly, a less common but notable mistake is confusing the past participle 'lived' with its use as an adjective. In sentences where 'lived' describes experiences or qualities, it's correct to use 'lived' following 'be' verbs. An error occurs when the simple past is mistakenly used in place of the adjective form. For example, 'She has a very live experience' instead of the correct 'She has a very lived experience,' which conveys the meaning of something being fully experienced or felt.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'live'?

The past simple form of 'live' is 'lived'. This form is used to describe actions or situations that occurred in the past and have been completed. It is the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). Example. I lived in France for a year when I was a child.

How do you form the past participle of 'live'?

The past participle form of 'live' is also 'lived'. It is used in perfect tenses, such as the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. The past participle needs to be used with helping verbs like 'have', 'has', or 'had'. Example (Present Perfect). She has lived in six different countries so far.

Can you give an example of 'lived' used in a sentence as a past participle?

Certainly! When using 'lived' as a past participle, it often denotes an action that has relevance to the present or was completed at an unspecified time in the past. Example (Past Perfect). By the time I met her, she had lived in three different cities. This sentence indicates that the action of living in three different cities was completed before the action of meeting her. Is there any difference in pronunciation between the past simple and past participle forms of 'live'