verb
leva
live
Att finnas till, andas och göra saker varje dag.
Definition & meaning
Leva is a Swedish verb meaning “to live.” It has several related meanings:
-
To be alive or exist
- Jag vill leva länge. — “I want to live for a long time.”
- Hon lever fortfarande. — “She is still alive.”
-
To live in a particular place or situation
- De lever i Sverige. — “They live in Sweden.”
- Han lever ensam. — “He lives alone.”
-
To make a living or subsist
- Hon lever på sin lön. — “She lives on her salary.”
- De lever av jordbruk. — “They make a living from farming.”
-
To experience or live through something
- Vi lever i en spännande tid. — “We are living in an exciting time.”
- Han fick leva med konsekvenserna. — “He had to live with the consequences.”
-
To behave or conduct one’s life
- De lever ett enkelt liv. — “They lead a simple life.”
Grammar & Word origin
Leva is a strong/inherently irregular verb:
- Infinitive: leva — “to live”
- Present: lever — “live / is living”
- Past: levde — “lived”
- Supine: levt — used with har or hade
- Imperative: lev — “live!”
Examples:
- Jag har levt här länge. — “I have lived here for a long time.”
- Lev livet! — “Live life!”
The word comes from Old Norse lifa and is related to liv , meaning “life.”
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- existera — “to exist”; more formal and focused on existence rather than everyday life.
- bo — “to live/reside”; specifically refers to having one’s home in a place.
- överleva — “to survive”; emphasizes continuing to live despite danger or hardship.
- försörja sig — “to support oneself”; used when leva means making a living.
Antonyms
- dö — “to die”; the direct opposite of leva when referring to being alive.
- avlida — “to pass away”; a more formal or polite synonym for dö.
Common phrases & collocations
- leva livet — to live life to the fullest
- leva ett gott liv — to live a good life
- leva i nuet — to live in the present
- leva på något — to live on something; to subsist on something
- leva av något — to make a living from something
- leva med något — to live with something
- leva upp till — to live up to; to meet expectations
- leva kvar — to remain alive or continue to exist
- ett levande språk — a living language
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Examples
Hon vill leva ett lyckligt liv.verb
She wants to live a happy life.
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