Vive, viva, and vivat

Being the third-person (singular or plural agreeing with the subject), subjunctive present conjugation, the terms express a hope on the part of the speaker that another should live.

In addition, in monarchical times, the king of France would be wished "Vive le Roi!"

The shouts are delivered by the King or Queen's Scholars of Westminster School, who by tradition are the first to acclaim the sovereign at the ceremony.

The mediaeval university Latin anthem De Brevitate Vitae has verses like: Compare ¡Viva el rey!

("Long live Victor Emmanuel king of Italy") was hidden from the Austrian enemy by its acronym Viva VERDI!

The opposite concept abbasso ("Down with") is abbreviated with an inverted W. In the Philippines, (a former Spanish colony), the usage of ¡Viva!

has declined in the 20th century, having been replaced by the Filipino term Mabuhay and its cognates in various Philippine languages.

Today, the expression is largely found in religious contexts (specifically, Filipino Catholicism), where it is said in fiestas to honour a manifestation of God or a patron saint (e.g. "¡Viva, Señor Santo Niño!"