Morirse

Morirse is a Spanish pronominal verb that means to die. It is used both in literal senses—death of a person or animal—and in vivid, figurative expressions to convey strong states or emotions, such as extreme hunger, fear, laughter, or desire. The verb is common across Spanish-speaking regions and appears in formal and informal contexts, often emphasizing the subject’s experience.

As a reflexive, morirse belongs to the intransitive family and forms its own irregular conjugation in several tenses. In the present indicative it is me muero, te mueres, se muere, nos morimos, os morís, se mueren. In the preterite it is me morí, te moriste, se murió, nos morimos, os moristeis, se murieron. Other tenses follow standard patterns for the verb morir, with the reflexive pronoun accompanying the form (morirse de hambre, morirse de risa, etc.). The construction morirse de + [noun] is especially common for intensity, such as morirse de hambre (to die of hunger) or morirse de risa (to be dying of laughter).

Usage notes: morirse often carries a sense of immediacy or emotional weight, whereas morir is a more neutral, clinical term for death. In colloquial speech, morirse can also appear with non-literal meanings, and can be used with objects in some dialects (e.g., se le murió el teléfono, meaning the phone died on him), though this can be regionally influenced.

Etymology: morirse derives from morir (to die) with the reflexive se, reflecting a diathesis that emphasizes the subject’s involvement or experience. See also morir and reflexive verbs.