Mourir: to die
The French verb mourir means "to die." It is irregular and follows its own pattern. The explanation covers meanings, usage rules, and full conjugations in multiple tenses and moods.
Meaning and Usage
Mourir means "to die." It is used to describe the end of life or the cessation of something. Because it is an irregular verb, its conjugations are unique.
It is often used in contexts like:
- La plante est morte. (The plant is dead.)
- Il est mort hier soir. (He died last night.)
Usage Rules
- Mourir is always transitive or intransitive, depending on context.
- When used with être in compound tenses (passé composé, plus-que-parfait, etc.), it indicates the subject has died.
- The past participle is mort, which must agree in gender and number when used with être (e.g., morte, morts, mortes).
- Some idiomatic expressions use mourir, such as mourir de faim (to die of hunger) and mourir de rire (to die laughing).
What do the idiomatic expressions mourir de faim and mourir de rire illustrate about mourir?
It can be used figuratively to intensify a state.
These expressions use *mourir* figuratively, meaning 'to be very hungry' or 'to laugh a lot', intensifying the state.
Full Conjugations
The tables show the stem changes and auxiliary usage. The pronouns and endings follow the standard French system.
- Présent: Stem is meur- or mour- depending on the form.
- Imparfait: Stem is mour-.
- Passé composé: Use auxiliary être + mort.
- Futur: Stem is mourr-.
- Conditionnel: Stem is mourr-.
- Subjonctif présent: Stem is meur- or mour-.
- Plus-que-parfait: Imperfect of être + mort.
- Futur antérieur: Future of être + mort.
- Conditionnel passé: Conditional of être + mort.
Présent (Present Indicative)
Stem alternates between meur- (je, tu, il/elle/on, ils/elles) and mour- (nous, vous).
| Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Usage |
|---|---|---|
| je | je meurs | I die / I am dying |
| tu | tu meurs | you die / you are dying |
| il/elle/on | il meurt | he/she/one dies |
| nous | nous mourons | we die |
| vous | vous mourez | you die (formal/plural) |
| ils/elles | ils meurent | they die |
Imparfait (Imperfect Indicative)
Stem is mour-; endings are regular for -ir verbs.
| Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Usage |
|---|---|---|
| je | je mourais | I was dying / I used to die |
| tu | tu mourais | you were dying |
| il/elle/on | il mourait | he/she/one was dying |
| nous | nous mourions | we were dying |
| vous | vous mouriez | you were dying |
| ils/elles | ils mouraient | they were dying |
Passé composé (Present Perfect)
Use auxiliary être + past participle mort (agrees in gender/number).
| Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je (m.) | je suis mort | I died | Je suis mort hier. |
| tu (f.) | tu es morte | you died | Tu es morte tôt. |
| il | il est mort | he died | Il est mort jeune. |
| elle | elle est morte | she died | Elle est morte hier. |
| nous (m.) | nous sommes morts | we died | Nous sommes morts ensemble. |
| vous (f. pl.) | vous êtes mortes | you died | Vous êtes mortes tard. |
| ils | ils sont morts | they died | Ils sont morts à la guerre. |
| elles | elles sont mortes | they died | Elles sont mortes de froid. |
Futur (Future Indicative)
Stem is mourr-; endings are standard future endings.
| Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Usage |
|---|---|---|
| je | je mourrai | I will die |
| tu | tu mourras | you will die |
| il/elle/on | il mourra | he/she/one will die |
| nous | nous mourrons | we will die |
| vous | vous mourrez | you will die |
| ils/elles | ils mourront | they will die |
Conditionnel (Present Conditional)
Stem is mourr-; endings are from the imperfect.
| Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Usage |
|---|---|---|
| je | je mourrais | I would die |
| tu | tu mourrais | you would die |
| il/elle/on | il mourrait | he/she/one would die |
| nous | nous mourrions | we would die |
| vous | vous mourriez | you would die |
| ils/elles | ils mourraient | they would die |
Subjonctif présent (Present Subjunctive)
Stem is meur- (je, tu, il/elle/on, ils/elles) or mour- (nous, vous); endings are regular subjunctive.
| Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Usage |
|---|---|---|
| que je | que je meure | that I die |
| que tu | que tu meures | that you die |
| qu’il/elle/on | qu’il meure | that he/she/one dies |
| que nous | que nous mourions | that we die |
| que vous | que vous mouriez | that you die |
| qu’ils/elles | qu’ils meurent | that they die |
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect)
Imperfect of être + past participle mort; indicates an action completed before another past action.
| Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je (m.) | j’étais mort | I had died | J’étais mort quand ils sont arrivés. |
| tu (f.) | tu étais morte | you had died | Tu étais morte avant minuit. |
| il | il était mort | he had died | Il était mort depuis longtemps. |
| elle | elle était morte | she had died | Elle était morte ce jour-là. |
| nous (m.) | nous étions morts | we had died | Nous étions morts ensemble. |
| vous (f. pl.) | vous étiez mortes | you had died | Vous étiez mortes avant le dîner. |
| ils | ils étaient morts | they had died | Ils étaient morts sur le champ. |
| elles | elles étaient mortes | they had died | Elles étaient mortes de fatigue. |
Futur antérieur (Future Perfect)
Future of être + mort; indicates an action will have been completed before another future action.
| Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je (m.) | je serai mort | I will have died | Je serai mort avant midi. |
| tu (f.) | tu seras morte | you will have died | Tu seras morte à l’aube. |
| il | il sera mort | he will have died | Il sera mort demain. |
| elle | elle sera morte | she will have died | Elle sera morte avant ton arrivée. |
| nous (m.) | nous serons morts | we will have died | Nous serons morts avant la fin. |
| vous (f. pl.) | vous serez mortes | you will have died | Vous serez mortes ce soir. |
| ils | ils seront morts | they will have died | Ils seront morts avant le voyage. |
| elles | elles seront mortes | they will have died | Elles seront mortes de froid. |
Conditionnel passé (Past Conditional)
Conditional of être + mort; expresses a hypothetical past action.
| Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je (m.) | je serais mort | I would have died | Je serais mort sans secours. |
| tu (f.) | tu serais morte | you would have died | Tu serais morte sans aide. |
| il | il serait mort | he would have died | Il serait mort sans traitement. |
| elle | elle serait morte | she would have died | Elle serait morte sans intervention. |
| nous (m.) | nous serions morts | we would have died | Nous serions morts ensemble. |
| vous (f. pl.) | vous seriez mortes | you would have died | Vous seriez mortes si ... |
| ils | ils seraient morts | they would have died | Ils seraient morts dans l’accident. |
| elles | elles seraient mortes | they would have died | Elles seraient mortes sans abri. |
I die (je ______ ). (Subject pronoun and infinitive: je / mourir)
meurs
The correct present indicative form is 'je meurs', using the stem *meur-*.
Summary
- Mourir means to die and is irregular.
- Use être + mort in compound tenses.
- Past participle mort agrees in gender/number.
- Stem changes: meur- / mour- / mourr-.
- Includes all key tenses and moods with examples.
Flashcards (1 of 62)
- Pronoun: je
- English Usage: I die / I am dying
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
