English verbs can be tricky, right? Some stay the same. Some change a lot. And some? They just add “-ed.” The word live is easy. Just add -d at the end.
So what’s the past form of live?
It’s lived.
That’s it! Super short.
In this guide, you’ll learn what live means. You’ll see how to use lived. We’ll do questions and negatives too. Let’s make it easy!
What Does Live Mean?
The word live means to stay somewhere. It’s what we do every day. We exist. We have homes. We experience life.
Here’s what live can mean:
- To stay in a place: “I live in London.”
- To be alive: “Fish live in water.”
- To enjoy life: “She lives happily.”
Now let’s see the past form.
Live Past Form: Lived
The past form of live is lived.
live → lived
Just add -d. Easy rule!
Examples
• She lived with grandma last year.
• They lived in Japan. Three years!
• We lived in a small house.
• He lived peacefully.
Each one? Past stuff.
How to Say Lived
Live sounds like /lɪv/.
Lived sounds like /lɪvd/.
Soft “v” sound. Say it slow: liv-d.
Live Past Participle
The past participle? Also lived.
Same word. Nice!
| Tense | Verb Form | Example |
| Present | live | I live in Mumbai. |
| Past | lived | I lived in Mumbai. |
| Past Participle | lived | I have lived in Mumbai. |
See? Super simple. Not like weird verbs.
How to Use Lived in Sentences
Let’s make sentences with lived.
Positive Sentences
Formula: Subject + lived + place/time
Examples:
• I lived in Kolkata at age ten.
• She lived in Canada before.
• We lived near the beach.
• They lived together. Five years!
• He lived long and happy.
All past stuff that happened.
Negative Sentences
Formula: Subject + did not + live + place/time**
After “did not,” use live. Not lived!
Examples:
• I did not live in Dhaka.
• She did not live here long.
• They did not live together.
• We did not live near the city.
• He did not live to see it.
Questions
Formula: Did + subject + live + place/time?**
Examples:
• Did you live in London?
• Did she live alone?
• Did they live here?
• Did we live near the market?
• Did he live in a hostel?
Simple yes/no stuff.
Wh-Questions
Formula: Wh-word + did + subject + live?**
Examples:
• Where did you live?
• When did she live in Paris?
• Who did he live with?
• How long did they live?
• Why did you live there?
Get you more info!
Common Meanings of Lived
Lived means different things. Let’s look.
To stay somewhere
• She lived in a flat.
• We lived near a river.
Means: had a home there.
To experience life
• They lived simple.
• She lived her dream!
Means: how they spent life.
To be alive
• Animals lived in the ice age.
• She lived through hard times.
Means: existed or survived.
Common Mistakes with Live and Lived
People mess up. Let’s fix it!
| Wrong | Right | Why? |
| I live in New York last year. | I lived in New York last year. | Past = lived |
| She didn’t lived there. | She didn’t live there. | After didn’t = live |
| Did you lived here? | Did you live here? | After did = live |
| He was live there. | He lived there. | Don’t mix verbs |
Remember: lived = past. But after did? Use live.
Using Lived in Different Tenses
Here’s live in all tenses. Easy chart!
| Tense | Formula | Example |
| Simple Present | live | I live in Pune. |
| Simple Past | lived | I lived in Pune. |
| Present Continuous | am/is/are living | I am living in Delhi. |
| Past Continuous | was/were living | I was living in London. |
| Present Perfect | have/has lived | I have lived here for five years. |
| Past Perfect | had lived | I had lived there before. |
| Future | will live | I will live abroad. |
| Future Perfect | will have lived | I will have lived here for ten years. |
Works in all tenses!
Expressions with Live
Live shows up in phrases. Check these out.
| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
| live a happy life | enjoy peace | She lived happily. |
| live in peace | stay calm | They lived peacefully. |
| live on | keep going | His memory lived on. |
| live for | love something | She lived for art. |
| live by | follow rules | He lived by truth. |
| live through | survive hard | We lived through tough times. |
| live up to | meet hopes | He lived up to dreams. |
Use live or lived. Depends on time.
Examples with “lived”
- She lived through war.
• They lived by kindness.
• He lived up to hopes.
• We lived on little money.
Real-Life Examples
How people live every day.
At school:
• I lived near school as a kid.
• The teacher lived in another city.
At home:
• My grandparents lived in a village.
• We lived in a small house.
In travel:
• She lived in France for one year.
• I lived in hotels for work.
In stories:
• The hero lived bravely.
• The princess lived happily ever after.
Practice Time
Fill the blanks. Use live or lived.
- I ______ in London as a kid.
- She ______ with parents now.
- We ______ here for five years.
- They ______ in America before.
- He didn’t ______ here long.
- ______ you ______ in Japan?
- Grandfather ______ ninety years.
- I ______ in the hostel at college.
- She ______ her dream last year.
- We ______ same place then.
Answers:
- lived
- lives
- have lived
- lived
- live
- Did, live
- lived
- lived
- lived
- lived
Difference Between Live, Lived, and Living
| Word | Type | Example | Meaning |
| live | base form | I live in India. | Now |
| lived | past form | I lived in India. | Before |
| living | -ing form | I am living in India. | Right now |
So:
live = now
lived = before
living = happening now
Common Questions with Lived
| Question | Meaning | Answer |
| Where did you live? | Past place | I lived in Mumbai. |
| How long did they live? | Time | Two years. |
| Did she live alone? | Condition | No, with my sister. |
| Who did you live with? | People | My parents. |
Natural everyday talk!
Fun Fact
Live comes from the old word “libban.” It means “be alive.” Now means “stay somewhere” too.
So “I lived there” means “I existed there.”
Quick Review
What you learned:
| Topic | Key Point |
| Base form | live |
| Past form | lived |
| Past participle | lived |
| Type | Regular verb |
| Say it | /lɪvd/ |
| Example | I lived in Dhaka. |
Summary
• Past form? Lived.
• After did not? Use live.
• Works in all tenses.
• Regular verb. Add -d.
Now you know! Past of live is lived.
Easy verb to learn. Use live for now. Use lived for before.
Examples:
• I live in India. (now)
• I lived in Dubai. (before)
Practice every day. Write about where you lived. Who you lived with. How you lived as kid.
Soon? You’ll use live and lived perfect. No thinking needed!