Spanish Conversation · Level 20
90 words
Spanish word
subsistir
Pronunciation
IPA/suβsisˈtiɾ/
Meaning
- verbmake a living
Example
Con ese sueldo no podrás subsistir dignamente.
With that salary you won't be able to make a decent living.
More examples
A duras penas, mucha gente logra subsistir en las grandes ciudades.
In large cities, many people get by with difficulty.
Core concept
A person scraping by on minimal money.
Common phrases
subsistir con poco
get by on little
subsistir a duras penas
get by with difficulty
Similar words
vivir: Lead a normal everyday life, carrying out routine daily activities.
ganarse la vida: Earn a living through work, obtaining money for daily expenses.
arreglárselas: Manage by improvising and making do with limited resources.
sobrevivir: Stay alive through danger or extreme hardship.
Definition in Spanish
Sostenerse económicamente al límite, sin prosperar.
Word origin
From Latin subsistere (sub- 'under' + sistere 'to stand'), the root means 'to remain' and in Spanish shifts to the sense 'to continue existing or live by the bare minimum'.
Usage tips
- A formal or literary term for barely getting by that is common in written or official contexts, while casual speech often uses arreglárselas or apañárselas.
Other meanings
- get byverb
- liveverb
Opposites
- prosperarthriveverb
Related words
- subsistenciasubsistencenoun