Abitare means to live, in the sense of having your home somewhere. It is a regular -ARE verb, and it is the word Italians reach for when they tell you where they live: abito a Bologna.
Infinitive
abitare
English
to live (somewhere), to reside
Auxiliary
avere
Past participle
abitato
Gerund
abitando
Regular -ARE verb, conjugated like parlare: abito, abiti, abita, abitiamo, abitate, abitano. The imperfect is abitavo, the future abiterò, the conditional abiterei, and the passato remoto runs abitai, abitasti, abitò, abitammo, abitaste, abitarono. The present subjunctive is che io abiti, che loro abitino. The point to watch is stress, not spelling: in the singular and the third person plural of the present it falls on the first syllable, À-bi-to, À-bi-ta-no, never a-BI-to. There are no irregular forms.
Abitare is about residence, and the preposition depends on the place. A city or town takes a (abito a Torino), while a country, a region, a street or a part of town takes in: abito in Germania, in Toscana, in via Garibaldi, in centro. A floor takes a with the article: abito al terzo piano. Abitare can also take the place as a direct object (abitano una villa in collina), which sounds a little more formal. For living in a wider sense, such as living well or living for music, Italian uses vivere. The noun for a resident is abitante.
Abitare takes avere: ho abitato a Londra per sei anni. This is a practical difference from vivere, which can take essere or avere (sono vissuto or ho vissuto a Londra). With abitare there is no choice and no agreement with the subject: mia sorella ha abitato in Germania, i miei nonni hanno sempre abitato qui.
Abitare in context
Presente:Abito a Milano, ma lavoro a Monza. (I live in Milan, but I work in Monza.)
Presente:Dove abitate? Abitiamo in centro, vicino al Duomo. (Where do you live? We live in the centre, near the cathedral.)
Passato Prossimo:Ho abitato a Napoli per tre anni, quando studiavo. (I lived in Naples for three years, when I was a student.)
Imperfetto:Da bambini abitavamo al quinto piano, senza ascensore. (As children we lived on the fifth floor, with no lift.)
Futuro Semplice:Dopo il matrimonio abiteranno in campagna. (After the wedding they will live in the countryside.)
Condizionale Presente:Abiterei volentieri al mare, ma il lavoro è qui. (I would gladly live by the sea, but my job is here.)
Common expressions with abitare
abitare da solo / da sola: to live alone
abitare con i genitori: to live with your parents
abitare a due passi da: to live a stone's throw from. Abito a due passi dalla stazione: I live a stone's throw from the station.
abitare fuori città: to live out of town
abitare porta a porta: to live next door to each other
Common mistakes
Abito a Roma., not Abito in Roma. (I live in Rome.). English uses in for every place, but Italian uses a for cities and towns. In is for countries, regions, streets and districts: abito in Italia, abito in Sardegna, abito in periferia.
Abito qui da cinque anni., not Ho abitato qui da cinque anni. (I have lived here for five years.). When the situation is still true, Italian uses the present with da, where English uses the present perfect. Ho abitato qui per cinque anni is correct only if you no longer live there.
Facciamo una vita tranquilla., not Abitiamo una vita tranquilla. (We lead a quiet life.). Abitare refers only to where you live. For the kind of life you lead, use fare una vita or vivere una vita: viviamo una vita tranquilla is also correct.
Avere, always: ho abitato, hai abitato, hanno abitato. The participle abitato does not change with the subject.
What is the difference between abitare and vivere?
For your address, both work: abito a Firenze and vivo a Firenze mean the same thing. Abitare is limited to residence, while vivere also means to be alive and to experience life: vivere bene, vivere un'avventura, vivere per la musica. Vivere also has an irregular participle (vissuto) and can take essere, whereas abitare is fully regular and always takes avere.
Do you say abitare a or abitare in?
Use a with cities, towns and villages (abito a Venezia) and with floors (al secondo piano). Use in with countries, regions, islands treated as regions, streets and parts of town: abito in Irlanda, in Sicilia, in via Dante, in periferia. Small islands usually take a: abito a Capri.
Is abitare a regular verb?
Yes, it follows the regular -ARE pattern in every tense, with the participle abitato and the gerund abitando. The only trap is pronunciation: stress the first syllable in àbito, àbiti, àbita and àbitano, and the second-to-last in abitiamo and abitate.