leben
German, verb
leben is spelled L-E-B-E-N (5 letters) and appears 724 times per million words in written German, the 135th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Leben is a German verb meaning “to live, to be alive” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Leben is a different word: “a state in which organic entities such as animals, plants and…”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “Stoffwechsel betreiben und wachsen; auf der Welt sein”.
What does leben mean in English?
verb
- 1
to live, to be alive
Lebt dein Uropa noch?
- 2
to dwell, to reside
Ich lebe in der Schillerstraße in der Nähe des Stadtzentrums.
- 3
to live, to exist, to occupy a place
Die Dinosaurier lebten für Jahrmillionen auf der Erde bevor der Mensch erschien.
- 4
to live off, subsist (on), to survive (off)
Er lebte von Brot und Wasser.
- 5
to live off, to depend on
- 6
to cope with, to live with, to deal with
Du wirst wohl damit leben müssen!
- 7
to live, to lead (a certain life or existence)
ein einfaches Leben leben
- 8
to fulfill, to live out (a dream/wish regarding one's life)
noun
- 1
neutergerund of leben: living
- 2
neutera state in which organic entities such as animals, plants and bacteria have properties like metabolism, adaptation and replication
- 3
neuterthe entirety of those who are in this state
- 4
neuterthe time period in which one is in this state; the time between birth and death
- 5
neutera state of being in touch or in line with certain metaphysical forces and principles by which biological life is governed
- 6
neuterlife; way of life (a particular manner of behaving and passing one’s time, whether real or ideal, and whether self-chosen or not)
- 7
neuterbiography; life; life story (an account of a person’s life, whether real or virtual)
- 8
neuterexistence; life (a position one has created for oneself, often manifested in success, prosperity, and standing)
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
noun: 1. der Inbegriff alles Organischen, basierend auf Stoffwechsel, Vermehrung und Wachstum 2. persönliche Laufbahn, beginnend mit der Geburt und endend mit dem Tod, kurz für Lebensweg 3. Lebensumstände 4. verbleibender Versuch, der nach einem virtuellen Tod noch zur Verfügung steht
verb: 1. Stoffwechsel betreiben und wachsen; auf der Welt sein 2. seine Existenz gestalten 3. wohnen 4. Nahrung zu sich nehmen, sich ernähren
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of leben
- lebt present singular third-person
- lebte past
- gelebt participle past
- haben auxiliary
- lebend participle present
- lebe first-person indicative present
- lebst indicative present second-person
- lebest second-person singular subjunctive
- lebet plural second-person subjunctive
- lebten first-person indicative plural
- lebtest indicative preterite second-person
- lebtet indicative plural preterite
- leb imperative second-person singular
- habe gelebt first-person indicative multiword-construction
- haben gelebt first-person indicative multiword-construction
- Lebens genitive singular
- lebe! imperative singular
- leb! imperative singular
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to leben
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is leben in German?
leben appears 724 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).