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Elle vit de sa petite bourse.

Elle vit de sa petite bourse.
She lives on her small scholarship.
From Lesson 91:High-frequency irregular verbs (vivre, recevoir)·French

Questions & Answers about Elle vit de sa petite bourse.

Why does vit end in a -t here instead of an -s?
Vivre (to live) is a highly irregular verb. In the present tense, the singular forms are: je vis (I live), tu vis (you live), and il/elle/on vit (he/she/it lives). Since our subject is elle, we use the -t ending.
Why is the preposition de used to mean "on"?
In French, the fixed expression for surviving or supporting yourself on a resource (like money or a type of food) is vivre de, which literally means "to live from". You cannot use sur (on) in this context.
I thought adjectives usually go after the noun. Why is petite before bourse?
While most French adjectives do follow the noun, petit (small) is a common exception. It belongs to the "BANGS" category of adjectives (which stands for Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, Size) that always come before the noun they describe.
Does the word bourse mean a purse?
It can mean a purse or pouch, and it is also the French word for the stock market (la Bourse). However, for a student or researcher, une bourse refers to a financial grant or scholarship, which fits perfectly here!

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