habitar
verbCEFR B2
What does “habitar” mean in English?
to inhabit, to live in
to inhabit, to live in (habitar una zona — reside in or occupy a place as a permanent or long-term resident)
Example sentences
Miles de familias habitan en zonas de riesgo sin acceso a los servicios básicos que garantiza el estado.
Thousands of families inhabit risk zones without access to the basic services guaranteed by the state.
Numerosas especies de aves endémicas habitan este parque nacional, protegido desde 1982.
Numerous endemic bird species inhabit this national park, which has been protected since 1982.
La región fue habitada por diferentes civilizaciones a lo largo de varios milenios antes de la colonización europea.
The region was inhabited by different civilisations over several millennia before European colonisation.
How to use it
Habitar means 'to inhabit', 'to live in', or 'to reside in'. More formal than vivir (live). Structure: habitar en + place (reside in) or habitar + place directly (inhabit). Common in formal, geographical, and social science contexts: las especies que habitan en este ecosistema (the species that inhabit this ecosystem), los pueblos que han habitado esta región (the peoples who have inhabited this region). The noun is el habitante (inhabitant).
Common mistake
Habitar (formal — inhabit/reside) vs. vivir (informal/neutral — live). 'Vivo en Madrid' is everyday Spanish. 'Habita en Madrid' sounds formal or literary. Habitar is the word you encounter in academic geography, ecology, anthropology, and history — important to recognise even if you use vivir in speech.