Mourir Passé Composé Conjugation in French
The passé composé of mourir — “to die” — is the tense you need for finished actions in the past: what you did yesterday, what happened last week, what has just finished. It is formed with être in the present + the past participle mort, so once you know the participle you can build every person. This page gives you the complete passé composé table for mourir, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the imperfect, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Je suis mort de rire hier.” — “I died of laughter yesterday.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for mourir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Passé Composé conjugation of mourir
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for mourir. The passé composé is a compound tense: être in the present + the past participle mort. The participle never changes in the table below — the tables give the masculine singular form, and agreement is explained in the formation section.
Present perfect (passé composé) — mourir
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | suis mort |
| tu | es mort |
| il/elle | est mort |
| nous | sommes mort |
| vous | êtes mort |
| ils/elles | sont mort |
The gerund of mourir is en mourant and the past participle is mort. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the passé composé of mourir is formed
Take the present tense of the auxiliary être and add the past participle mort: je → suis mort, tu → es mort, il/elle → est mort, nous → sommes mort, vous → êtes mort, ils/elles → sont mort. So mourir gives suis mort, es mort, est mort, sommes mort, êtes mort, sont mort. Because the auxiliary is être, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number: a feminine subject adds -e and a plural subject adds -s. The tables on this page give the masculine singular form mort, as in suis mort; in real sentences, adjust the ending to match the subject. A note on the participle: mort is the only past participle for mourir in the verified tables. Do not invent a second participle, and do not borrow the participle of a similar verb.
When to use the passé composé of mourir
1. A finished event in the past
Use the passé composé for a finished event in the past. For example, with mourir: “Je suis mort de rire hier.” — “I died of laughter yesterday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. Something that has just happened
Use the passé composé for something that has just happened. For example, with mourir: “Tu es mort de rire ce matin.” — “You died of laughter yesterday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. A sequence of past events
Use the passé composé for a sequence of past events. For example, with mourir: “Il est mort de rire hier soir.” — “He died of laughter yesterday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Life experience up to now
Use the passé composé for life experience up to now. For example, with mourir: “Nous sommes mort de rire déjà.” — “We died of laughter yesterday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. A past event with a definite time
Use the passé composé for a past event with a definite time. For example, with mourir: “Vous êtes mort de rire la semaine dernière.” — “You died of laughter yesterday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Passé composé vs imperfect: mourir then and mourir now
The passé composé and the imperfect both talk about the past, but they are not interchangeable. The passé composé is for what happened and finished; the imperfect is for what was happening, or what used to happen. Compare the pairs below — the passé composé form comes from this page, the imperfect form from the full conjugation table.
Passé composé: “Je suis mort de rire hier.” — “I died of laughter yesterday.”
Imperfect: “Je mourais de rire quand j’étais jeune.” — “When I was young, I used to die of laughter.”
Passé composé: “Tu es mort de rire hier.” — “You died of laughter yesterday.”
Imperfect: “Tu mourais de rire quand j’étais jeune.” — “You used to die of laughter.”
Passé composé: “Nous sommes mort de rire hier.” — “We died of laughter yesterday.”
Imperfect: “Nous mourions de rire quand j’étais jeune.” — “We used to die of laughter.”
Example sentences: mourir in the passé composé
Six sentences using only the passé composé of mourir, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je suis mort de rire hier.” — “I died of laughter yesterday.”
- “Tu es mort de rire ce matin.” — “You died of laughter yesterday.”
- “Il est mort de rire la semaine dernière.” — “He died of laughter yesterday.”
- “Nous sommes mort de rire déjà.” — “We died of laughter yesterday.”
- “Vous êtes mort de rire hier soir.” — “You died of laughter yesterday.”
- “Ils sont mort de rire ce week-end.” — “They died of laughter yesterday.”
Common mistakes with mourir in the passé composé
Mistake 1: Using the wrong auxiliary
Wrong: “J’ai mort de rire.”
Right: “Je suis mort de rire.”
With mourir the passé composé takes être, not avoir. The correct form is suis mort.
Mistake 2: Using the present for a finished past event
Wrong: “Je meurs de rire hier.”
Right: “Je suis mort de rire hier.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the passé composé (suis mort), not the present.
Mistake 3: Using the imperfect for a single finished event
Wrong: “Je mourais de rire hier.” (for one finished event)
Right: “Je suis mort de rire hier.”
The imperfect describes background and habit. One finished event yesterday takes the passé composé.
Mistake 4: Forgetting participle agreement with être
Wrong: “Elle est mort.” (said of a woman)
Right: “Elle est morte.” — with être the participle agrees with the subject; the tables give the masculine singular mort.
With être the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Quiz: mourir in the passé composé
What is the je form of mourir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) es mort
- B) sont mort
- C) suis mort
- D) sommes mort
What is the tu form of mourir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) suis mort
- B) es mort
- C) sont mort
- D) est mort
What is the il/elle form of mourir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) êtes mort
- B) es mort
- C) est mort
- D) sont mort
What is the nous form of mourir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) êtes mort
- B) suis mort
- C) est mort
- D) sommes mort
What is the vous form of mourir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) sont mort
- B) suis mort
- C) êtes mort
- D) es mort
What is the ils/elles form of mourir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) sont mort
- B) es mort
- C) êtes mort
- D) sommes mort
Which auxiliary does mourir take in the passé composé?
- A) être
- B) faire
- C) avoir
- D) aller
What is the past participle of mourir?
- A) mourais
- B) meurs
- C) mort
- D) en mourant
Answer key
- C) suis mort — the je form of mourir in the present perfect (passé composé) is suis mort.
- B) es mort — the tu form of mourir in the present perfect (passé composé) is es mort.
- C) est mort — the il/elle form of mourir in the present perfect (passé composé) is est mort.
- D) sommes mort — the nous form of mourir in the present perfect (passé composé) is sommes mort.
- C) êtes mort — the vous form of mourir in the present perfect (passé composé) is êtes mort.
- A) sont mort — the ils/elles form of mourir in the present perfect (passé composé) is sont mort.
- A) être — mourir forms its compound tenses with être: suis mort.
- C) mort — the past participle of mourir is mort.
Frequently asked questions
How is the passé composé of mourir formed?
With être in the present + the past participle mort: suis mort, es mort, est mort, sommes mort, êtes mort, sont mort.
When do I use the passé composé of mourir?
Use it for recent past actions and completed events. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the passé composé and the imperfect?
The passé composé is for finished events (suis mort), while the imperfect is for background and habit (mourais). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of mourir?
On the full conjugation page for mourir, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six passé composé forms of mourir in order, without looking: suis mort, es mort, est mort, sommes mort, êtes mort, sont mort. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using suis mort, mourais and mourrai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- mourir in the passé composé — the full table and uses for this verb in the passé composé.
- mourir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French irregular verbs — every common irregular French verb, grouped by pattern.
- Naitre conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise mourir with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise mourir with the interactive tool.
- Perfect Tenses Builder — practise the perfect tenses with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.