Introduction

Morrer means “to die”, and this page covers exactly one thing: morrer in the pretérito perfeito. The pretérito perfeito is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about one finished action in the past, especially in conversation. On this page you will find the full pretérito perfeito table for morrer, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito imperfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about morrer in the pretérito perfeito. It means to die, and it is irregular in the present and the pretérito perfeito: morro, morres, morre, and morri, morreste, morreu in the past. Its participle is morto, not a regular -ido form, so learn it as a pair with the infinitive. For example: “Ele morreu no ano passado.” — “He died.” Everything on this page uses the forms of morrer exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Morrer in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu morri
tu morreste
ele/ela morreu
nós morremos
vós morrestes
eles/elas morreram
Gerund: morrendo · Past participle: morto
The gerund is morrendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Morrendo, aprendo muito.” — “While dying, I learn a lot.” The past participle is morto, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho morto is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the pretérito perfeito is only one part of how morrer is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for morrer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the pretérito perfeito of morrer is formed

The pretérito perfeito of morrer has six forms: eu morri, tu morreste, ele morreu, nós morremos, vós morrestes, eles morreram. The participle is given here in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table. morrer is irregular in other tenses, but its pretérito perfeito follows the regular endings: the -ar endings are -ei, -aste, -ou, -ámos, -astes, -aram, and the -er and -ir endings are -i, -este, -eu, -emos, -estes, -eram. Learn the six forms as a set and the tense is yours.

Two things about the pretérito perfeito of morrer are worth noticing. First, it is the tense of finished events with a clear result, so it pairs naturally with time words such as ontem, esta semana and no ano passado — those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense. Second, it is a simple tense, built from one word, unlike the pretérito perfeito composto, which needs ter plus the participle morto: tenho morto. When the action is one finished event, reach for the simple form first.

Because the pretérito perfeito of morrer is one word per person, it is cheap to learn once the six forms are fixed. Learn them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and say each one with a time word, so the tense and its time words are learnt together.

When to use the pretérito perfeito of morrer

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use morrer in the pretérito perfeito most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. One finished action

The pretérito perfeito describes a single action that is finished, especially in spoken Portuguese. When the action has a clear end, the pretérito perfeito is the natural choice. Example: “Eu morri no ano passado.” — “I died.”

2. Recent events

Use the pretérito perfeito for things that happened recently — today, this week, this morning — where the result is still visible in the present. Example: “Ele morreu no ano passado.” — “He died.”

3. A sequence of events

When you tell what happened first, second and third, each step takes the pretérito perfeito. The tense moves the story forward one finished action at a time. Example: “Nós morremos no ano passado.” — “We died.”

4. An experience in your life

Use the pretérito perfeito for things you have done in your life, with or without a time expression. It is the tense of experience as much as of yesterday. Example: “Tu morreste no ano passado.” — “You died.”

5. News and results

When you report news or a result, the pretérito perfeito carries it: something happened, and now the situation is different. The result matters more than the process. Example: “Eles morreram no ano passado.” — “They died.”

Pretérito Perfeito vs Pretérito Imperfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the pretérito perfeito is the pretérito imperfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action, while the pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, or the background of a scene. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the pretérito perfeito sentences use words such as ontem or esta semana, while the pretérito imperfeito sentences use antigamente or todos os dias.

  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele morreu no ano passado.” — “He died”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele morria antigamente.” — “He used to die”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu morri no ano passado.” — “I died”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu morria antigamente.” — “I used to die”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu morreste no ano passado.” — “You died”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu morrias antigamente.” — “You used to die”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

Example sentences: morrer in the pretérito perfeito

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu morri no ano passado.” — “I died”
  2. “Tu morreste no ano passado.” — “You died”
  3. “Ele morreu no ano passado.” — “He died”
  4. “Nós morremos no ano passado.” — “We died”
  5. “Vós morrestes no ano passado.” — “You died”
  6. “Eles morreram no ano passado.” — “They died”
  7. “Eu morri no ano passado.” — “I died”
  8. “Ele morreu no ano passado.” — “He died”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu morro ontem.” Right: “Eu morri no ano passado.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito morri for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu morria ontem.” Right: “Eu morri no ano passado.” Why: The pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual past action, not one finished event. For a single finished action yesterday, use the pretérito perfeito morri.
  • Wrong: “Eu morreste.” Right: “Eu morri no ano passado.” Why: The eu form is morri, not morreste. morreste is the tu form. Match the verb to the subject every time.
  • Wrong: “Eu morrer.” Right: “Eu morri no ano passado.” Why: The infinitive morrer never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After eu you need the conjugated pretérito perfeito form morri.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of morrer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) morreste
    • B) morri
    • C) morreu
    • D) morremos

  2. What is the tu form of morrer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) morri
    • B) morreu
    • C) morreste
    • D) morremos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of morrer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) morri
    • B) morreste
    • C) morremos
    • D) morreu

  4. What is the nós form of morrer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) morremos
    • B) morri
    • C) morreste
    • D) morreu

  5. What is the vós form of morrer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) morri
    • B) morrestes
    • C) morreste
    • D) morreu

  6. What is the eles/elas form of morrer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) morri
    • B) morreste
    • C) morreram
    • D) morreu

  7. What is the eu form of morrer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) morreste
    • B) morreu
    • C) morremos
    • D) morri

  8. What is the tu form of morrer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) morreste
    • B) morri
    • C) morreu
    • D) morremos

Answer key

  1. B) morri — the correct form is morri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) morreste — the correct form is morreste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) morreu — the correct form is morreu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) morremos — the correct form is morremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) morrestes — the correct form is morrestes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) morreram — the correct form is morreram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) morri — the correct form is morri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) morreste — the correct form is morreste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does morrer mean in English?

morrer means “to die”. It is a irregular -er verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of morrer formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu morri, tu morreste, ele morreu, nós morremos, vós morrestes, eles morreram.

When do I use the pretérito perfeito instead of the pretérito imperfeito?

Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. Use the pretérito imperfeito for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. The time words are your best clue: ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of morrer?

The gerund is morrendo and the past participle is morto. The perfect tenses use ter + morto.

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