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Prepositions after verbs

How to use "live" with prepositions

Live combines with several prepositions to express residence, companionship, financial support, and idiomatic meanings.

Quick answer

Key patterns with "live"

Use live in for cities, countries, and rooms; live at for addresses or specific points; live with for sharing a home or accepting a situation; live on for food or income; and live up to in the phrasal verb live up to.

They live in Madrid.
She lives with her grandparents.
He lives on a small pension.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
live in + place

Residence in an area or enclosed place

Use live in with countries, cities, neighbourhoods, and buildings.

We live in a coastal town.
2
live at + address

Residence at a specific point

Use live at with addresses or precise locations.

She lives at 18 King Street.
3
live with + person/problem

Sharing a home or accepting a condition

Live with can describe cohabitation or tolerating something.

I live with two classmates.
4
live on + money/food

Depending on something for survival

Use live on for income, food, or resources.

Many students live on a tight budget.
5
live up to + expectation

Meeting expectations

Live up to is a phrasal verb meaning satisfy standards or hopes.

The film lived up to the reviews.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
live in
They live in Brazil.
Reside inside a city, country, or building.
live with
She lives with her sister.
Share a home or cope with something.
live on
He lives on rice and vegetables.
Depend on for food or income.
live up to
The service lived up to expectations.
Meet expectations; this is a phrasal verb.
live at
I live at 22 River Road.
Reside at a specific address or point.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using "at" for large places

Use in for cities and countries.

✕ She lives at Canada. ✓ She lives in Canada.

Confusing "live on" and "live with"

On expresses support or food; with expresses company or coexistence.

✕ He lives with a small salary. ✓ He lives on a small salary.

Dropping "to" after "live up"

The phrasal verb is live up to.

✕ The product did not live up expectations. ✓ The product did not live up to expectations.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. They live ___ a small apartment near the station.
2. She lives ___ her aunt while studying.
3. The restaurant lived up ___ its reputation.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I say "live at London"?

No. Use live in London because London is a city, not a specific address point.

What does "live on" mean with food?

It means survive mainly by eating something, as in "They live on fish and rice."

Is "live up" used without "to"?

Not in this meaning. The full expression is live up to.

label, as, label, with lag behind, in, from, on or by? "land on" or "land in"? languish in, at, on, for or near? last for, from, until, in or through? "latch onto" or "latch on"? laugh at, with, about, in or for? launch in, by, on, at or into? "lay on" or "lay in"? lead to, by, up, in or from? "leak to" or "leak from"? lean on, towards, against, toward or to?

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