morir
/moˈɾiɾ/
The Spanish phrase for "to die" is morir.
The verb morir is used to express the act of stopping living. It is the most common and neutral way to say "to die" in Spanish.
Which one should you use?
While morir is the standard verb, fallecer is used when you want to be more formal and polite, similar to saying "to pass away". Perecer is also a formal or poetic option often found in literature.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, palmar and cascar are used as informal slang for dying.
How does it change in a sentence?
Morir is an "o-to-ue" stem-changing verb in the present tense, where the "o" changes to "ue" in most forms, such as muero (I die). In the preterite tense, the stem changes from "o" to "i", as seen in murió (he/she died).
How do you pronounce it?
/moˈɾiɾ/
Did you know?
- While morir is the standard, using estirar la pata is a very common, albeit vulgar, idiom that literally means 'to stretch the leg'.
- The English word 'mortify' is a linguistic relative of morir. While 'mortify' now often means to be embarrassed, it originally meant to subdue the body or 'put to death' a desire.
- In some dialects, saying se me murió… (literally 'it died itself to me') is used to express that a loss was sudden or unexpected, shifting the focus of the action.
Examples in context
- No voy a morir.I'm not going to die.This sentence uses morir to express a refusal of death.Tatoeba #2090143 by Shishir, translation #1891042 by CK
- No vas a morir.You're not going to die.This sentence uses morir to state that someone is not going to die.Tatoeba #3188911 by Shishir, translation #3354149 by CK
- ¿Me voy a morir?Am I going to die?This sentence uses morir to ask a question about one's own death.Tatoeba #2004182 by Shishir, translation #1886370 by CK
- Las personas mueren.People die.
- Nuestro querido abuelo falleció ayer.Our beloved grandfather passed away yesterday.
- Los soldados perecieron en la batalla.The soldiers perished in the battle.
- Me muero de hambre.I'm dying of hunger.
- Se dice que el amor nunca muere.They say love never dies.
- El famoso escritor falleció a los 80 años.The famous writer passed away at 80 years old.
- Mi gato se murió la semana pasada y lo extraño mucho.My cat died last week and I miss him a lot.
- 136 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a character in a movie.
- Lucía¿Crees que el protagonista va a morir?Do you think the protagonist is going to die?
- AlejandroNo, no va a morir al final.No, he is not going to die in the end.
- LucíaMenos mal, me asusté mucho.Thank goodness, I was very scared.
- AlejandroEs una película muy emocionante.It is a very exciting movie.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry morir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries morir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
