The preterite of morir is used to express when someone or something died at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “The plant died last winter” – “La planta murió el invierno pasado.”
This is an o to u stem-changing verb in the preterite tense. The stem change only occurs in the third person singular and plural forms (murió, murieron), while other forms maintain the ‘o’.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Morir (to die) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | morí |
| Tú | moriste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | murió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | morimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | moristeis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | murieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Morir (to die) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Morir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of morir indicates the moment or fact of death.
To die: Used for stating death, for example Su abuelo murió el año pasado (His grandfather died last year), or Murieron en el accidente (They died in the accident).
To expire/end completely: Describes metaphorical death, for example Murió el proyecto (The project died).
Examples
Examples of Morir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Su abuelo murió en paz mientras dormía. (His grandfather died peacefully in his sleep.)
Muchas plantas murieron durante la sequía. (Many plants died during the drought.)
El héroe murió salvando a otros. (The hero died saving others.)
Las flores murieron con la primera helada. (The flowers died with the first frost.)
El proyecto murió por falta de fondos. (The project died due to lack of funding.)
Varios pájaros murieron durante el invierno. (Several birds died during the winter.)
La tradición nunca murió en su familia. (The tradition never died in their family.)
Sus esperanzas murieron ese día. (Their hopes died that day.)
El perro murió de vejez. (The dog died of old age.)
Muchos sueños murieron en la crisis. (Many dreams died in the crisis.)
La batería del celular murió en el peor momento. (The cell phone battery died at the worst moment.)
El ruido murió gradualmente. (The noise died gradually.)
La conversación murió de forma incómoda. (The conversation died awkwardly.)
Las llamas murieron lentamente. (The flames died slowly.)
El motor murió en medio del camino. (The engine died in the middle of the road.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Morir (to die) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo morí | I died |
| Tú moriste | You died |
| Él / Ella / Usted murió | He / She / You (formal) died |
| Nosotros / Nosotras morimos | We died |
| Vosotros / Vosotras moristeis | You all died |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes murieron | They / You all (formal) died |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.