What is the preterite of morir in Spanish?

The preterite of morir is: morí, moriste, murió, morimos, moristeis, murieron. The third-person forms (murió, murieron) shift the stem o to u; all other forms keep the o. The endings are standard -ir preterite endings with regular accents on yo (morí) and él/ella (murió).

Why is it murió instead of morió?

Morir belongs to the stem-changing -ir verb family with o in the stem. Like dormir, it shifts the o to u in the third-person preterite forms (murió, murieron). The other four forms keep the original o.

What's the difference between murió and se murió?

Both mean died, but se murió (reflexive) often softens the statement or signals personal involvement, similar to passed away in English. Used especially for loved ones, pets, or unexpected deaths. Murió (non-reflexive) is more neutral, common in news reports or historical contexts.

How is morir used figuratively in the preterite?

Morirse de + noun is a common hyperbolic construction: me morí de risa (I died laughing), se murió de vergüenza (she died of embarrassment), nos morimos de hambre (we were starving). The reflexive form is mandatory in these expressions.

How can I learn to use the preterite of morir naturally?

Morir comes up in stories about family history, news events, and figurative reactions (me morí de risa). Parrot's short-form videos surface both literal and figurative uses, so the o-to-u shift and the reflexive morirse become natural through repeated exposure to real-life storytelling.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Preterite of Morir: All Forms with Examples

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

The preterite of morir is regular except for an o-to-u shift in the third-person forms (murió, murieron). The other forms keep the o (morí, moriste, morimos, moristeis). Reflexive morirse follows the same rule, often used softly or figuratively.

Murió a una edad avanzada.

He died at an advanced age.

What it is

Morir's preterite is regular except for the third-person stem shift: o becomes u, giving murió and murieron. The other four forms keep the o (morí, moriste, morimos, moristeis). Reflexive morirse takes the same conjugation, often softened or used figuratively (me morí de risa, I died laughing).

In Murió a una edad avanzada (He died at an advanced age), murió marks a single completed past event. The preterite frames death as a bounded moment, not an ongoing state.

How to spot it

Look for the o-to-u shift in third person: murió, murieron. The other forms keep the o. Reflexive forms (me morí, se murió, se murieron) follow the same rule.

Mi abuelo murió hace tres años. — My grandfather died three years ago.
Murieron muchas personas en el accidente. — Many people died in the accident.
Me morí de risa con su chiste. — I died laughing at his joke.

Morir shares the o-to-u rule with dormir. Both are -ir verbs with o stems, and both shift to u in third person.

Preterite of Morir Quick Reference

Preterite of morir, all six forms

Person	Form	Translation
yo	morí	I died
tú	moriste	you died
él/ella/Ud.	murió	he, she, you (formal) died
nosotros	morimos	we died
vosotros	moristeis	you all died (Spain)
ellos/Uds.	murieron	they, you all died

Common Preterite of Morir Examples in Spanish

Morir covers literal death, figurative collapse, and exaggerated hyperbole. The preterite captures each as a completed event at a specific past moment.

Literal Death (Past Events)

Mi tío murió el año pasado.: My uncle died last year.
Murió tranquilo en su casa.: He died peacefully at home.
Murieron muchas víctimas en la guerra.: Many victims died in the war.
El escritor murió a los noventa años.: The writer died at ninety.
Su perro murió de viejo.: Her dog died of old age.

When the subject is a person or animal that has died, the preterite is the standard tense. Time markers (el año pasado, hace tres años) anchor the event in the past.

Reflexive Morirse (Softer or Personal)

Se murió hace dos meses.: He passed away two months ago.
Se murieron varios animales en el zoológico.: Several animals passed away at the zoo.
Mi gato se murió mientras yo estaba de viaje.: My cat passed away while I was on a trip.
Casi se murió del susto.: He almost died of fright.
Se murió sin sufrir.: She passed away without suffering.

Reflexive morirse often softens the bluntness of death, similar to passed away in English. Especially common when talking about loved ones or pets.

Figurative Death (Strong Emotion)

Me morí de risa con la película.: I died laughing at the movie.
Se murió de vergüenza al caerse.: She died of embarrassment when she fell.
Nos morimos de hambre esperando.: We were starving while we waited.
Se murieron de miedo en la casa embrujada.: They were scared to death in the haunted house.
Me morí de aburrimiento en la conferencia.: I died of boredom at the conference.

Morirse + de + noun is a common hyperbolic construction for extreme reactions: laughter, fear, hunger, embarrassment, boredom. The preterite captures the peak moment.

Things Dying Off

Murió la planta por falta de agua.: The plant died from lack of water.
Murió el negocio sin clientes.: The business died without customers.
Murieron las plantas en la helada.: The plants died in the frost.
Murió la conversación de repente.: The conversation died suddenly.
Murió la batería del coche.: The car battery died.

Morir works for things that stop functioning or wither: plants, businesses, conversations, batteries. The preterite captures the moment they ended.

How to Form the Preterite of Morir

o → u in Third-Person Forms

The stem morir has o, but the third-person preterite forms shift it to u: murió (él/ella/usted) and murieron (ellos/ellas/ustedes). The other four forms keep the o (morí, moriste, morimos, moristeis). Same rule as dormir.

morir → o in 1st/2nd person, u in 3rd person: morí / murió / morimos / murieron.

Same root, just a vowel change in 3rd person.

Only the él/ella and ellos forms shift. The other four stay with morir's regular o.

Regular Endings with Accents

The endings are the standard -ir preterite set: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron. Yo and él/ella keep their accents (morí, murió), unlike the truly irregular preterites.

morí (accent on í), murió (accent on ó).

Standard accent placement for regular -ir preterites.

Morir is regular in its endings; only the stem changes in third person.

Reflexive Morirse

Reflexive morirse takes identical conjugation with a reflexive pronoun added: me morí, te moriste, se murió, nos morimos, os moristeis, se murieron. The o-to-u rule still applies in se murió, se murieron. Often used to soften the meaning or in figurative expressions.

Me morí de risa. Se murieron sus padres.

I died laughing. Her parents passed away.

Reflexive morirse adds personal involvement or emotional softening, but the conjugation rules don't change.

Past Participle Muerto

Morir has an irregular past participle: muerto. While not part of the preterite itself, this is relevant when forming the present perfect (ha muerto) or pluperfect (había muerto), or using muerto as an adjective (está muerto).

Ha muerto. Estaba muerto cuando llegamos.

He has died. He was dead when we arrived.

The preterite uses murió; perfect tenses and adjective uses use muerto.

Common Mistakes with Preterite of Morir

Incorrect: Ella morió hace tres años. — She died three years ago. (wrong, third-person needs the o-to-u shift)

Correct: Ella murió hace tres años. — She died three years ago.

The third-person singular preterite of morir is murió, not morió. The o in the stem flips to u in él/ella/usted and ellos/ellas/ustedes forms. Same rule as durmió, sirvió.

Incorrect: Yo murí de risa con esa película. — I died laughing at that movie. (wrong, only third-person shifts the stem)

Correct: Yo me morí de risa con esa película. — I died laughing at that movie.

Two issues: (1) the yo form keeps the o, so it's morí, not murí. (2) The expression me morí de risa needs the reflexive me. Correct: Me morí de risa.

Incorrect: Mi abuelo moría el año pasado. — My grandfather died last year. (wrong, imperfect for a one-time event)

Correct: Mi abuelo murió el año pasado. — My grandfather died last year.

Death is a one-time, completed event with a clear endpoint. That takes the preterite (murió). The imperfect (moría) would describe an ongoing or recurring state of dying, which doesn't match a specific death event.

Preterite of Morir FAQs

What is the preterite of morir in Spanish?: The preterite of morir is: morí, moriste, murió, morimos, moristeis, murieron. The third-person forms (murió, murieron) shift the stem o to u; all other forms keep the o. The endings are standard -ir preterite endings with regular accents on yo (morí) and él/ella (murió).
Why is it murió instead of morió?: Morir belongs to the stem-changing -ir verb family with o in the stem. Like dormir, it shifts the o to u in the third-person preterite forms (murió, murieron). The other four forms keep the original o.
What's the difference between murió and se murió?: Both mean died, but se murió (reflexive) often softens the statement or signals personal involvement, similar to passed away in English. Used especially for loved ones, pets, or unexpected deaths. Murió (non-reflexive) is more neutral, common in news reports or historical contexts.
How is morir used figuratively in the preterite?: Morirse de + noun is a common hyperbolic construction: me morí de risa (I died laughing), se murió de vergüenza (she died of embarrassment), nos morimos de hambre (we were starving). The reflexive form is mandatory in these expressions.
How can I learn to use the preterite of morir naturally?: Morir comes up in stories about family history, news events, and figurative reactions (me morí de risa). Parrot's short-form videos surface both literal and figurative uses, so the o-to-u shift and the reflexive morirse become natural through repeated exposure to real-life storytelling.