The verb vivir typically means "to live" and has most of the meanings of the English verb. However, it isn't always used with the prepositions you may expect. Here are some of the most common combinations:

Vivir a can be used to indicate a style of living, as in these examples:

• Mi tío vive al margen de la ley. My uncle lives at the edge of the law.
• Él vive al día y no sabe dónde trabajará la semana que viene. He lives from day to day and doesn't know where he will work the following week.

Vivir con is frequently used to indicate the circumstances of life:

• La mitad de la población vive con escasez de agua. Half the population lives without enough water.
• El narcotraficante vive con lujo hasta en la cárcel. The drug dealer lives in luxury even in jail.

Vivir de is usually used to indicate a means of living, such as how a person gets the resources necessary to live:

• En la sociedad comunitaria nadie vive de caridad. In the communitarian society, nobody lives from charity.
• No he aprendido a vivir del aire. I haven't learned to live off the air.
• Es una empresa que vive del fraude. It's a business that lives by fraud.

Vivir en can be used not only to indicate the location of life, but also its circumstances:

• Muchos de mis amigos viven en Tegucigalpa. Many of my friends live in Tegicigalpa.
• Una persona que vive en plenitud no deja de tener problemas. A person who lives a full life doesn't quit having problems.
• El pastor dijo que viven en el pecado los que viven en parejas sin haber sido casado. The pastor said that those who live as couples without having been married are living in sin.

• Que vivan en paz los niños del mundo. May the world's children live in peace.

Vivir en also can be used to indicate attitudes:

• El secreto es vivir en el presente. The secret is living in the present.
• El senador dice que la oposición vive en la luna. The senator says the opposition is out of touch with reality (literally, lives on the moon).