The preterite of morir is used to express the moment when death occurred in the past. For example, you might say “The plant died when we forgot to water it,” indicating the specific point when life ended.
This is an o to u stem-changing verb, where the stem vowel changes from ‘o’ to ‘u’ in the third person singular and plural forms of the preterite tense.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Morir (to die) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | morí |
| Tú | moriste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | murió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | morimos |
| 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 expresses the moment of death or a metaphorical ending.
Died: Indicates the specific moment of death, for example Su abuelo murió hace dos años (His grandfather died two years ago).
Metaphorical death: Used figuratively to express when something ended completely, for example El amor murió cuando me mintió (The love died when they lied to me).
Examples
Examples of Morir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
La planta murió por falta de agua. (The plant died from lack of water.)
Muchas especies murieron hace millones de años. (Many species died millions of years ago.)
El héroe murió defendiendo su país. (The hero died defending their country.)
Las flores murieron con la helada. (The flowers died with the frost.)
Mi teléfono murió en medio de la llamada. (My phone died in the middle of the call.)
Los dinosaurios murieron por un meteorito. (The dinosaurs died because of a meteorite.)
La batería murió repentinamente. (The battery died suddenly.)
Algunas tradiciones murieron con el tiempo. (Some traditions died with time.)
El fuego murió lentamente. (The fire died slowly.)
Las esperanzas murieron después de la derrota. (Hopes died after the defeat.)
El motor murió en la carretera. (The engine died on the highway.)
Los sueños no murieron con los años. (Dreams didn’t die with the years.)
La conversación murió por falta de interés. (The conversation died from lack of interest.)
Las células murieron sin oxígeno. (The cells died without oxygen.)
El proyecto murió por falta de fondos. (The project died due to lack of funds.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Morir (to die) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo morí | I died |
| Tú moriste | You died |
| Él / Ella / Usted murió | He / She / You died |
| Nosotros / Nosotras morimos | We died |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes murieron | They / You all died |
This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.