Spanish Verbs Morir and Morirse

Spanish Verbs Morir and Morirse Question: I am reading your explanation on caer and caerse and am interested to know if you have addressed morir and morirse. Not being a native speaker, those two verbs are very confusing for me and my students. Answer: Thats a great question. Although some verbs, like caer, are used in the reflexive form to indicate an unexpected action, that isnt the case with morir, which typically means to die (either literally or figuratively). In general, it is always grammatically correct to use morir (the nonreflexive form) to mean to die. Some examples: Mi perrita murià ³ hace 3 dà ­as. My puppy died three days ago. Mi padre murià ³ y no sabemos cul era su contraseà ±a. My father died, and we dont know what his password was. Si elegimos no hacer nada, entonces la esperanza morir. If we choose to do nothing, then hope will die. Muere de cncer la cantante mexicana. The Mexican singer is dying of cancer. Al menos cinco soldados murieron y ocho resultaron heridos. At least five soldiers died and eight were injured. Although not mandatory in such instances, the reflexive form, morirse can be used when speaking about a natural death, especially one that didnt come suddenly. It can also be used when speaking of friends or relatives. Some examples: Los dinosaurios no se murieron de frà ­o. The dinosaurs didnt die of cold. Mi amigo se murià ³ hace dos dà ­as en un trgico accidente. My friend died two days ago in a tragic accident. Yo me morirà © sin tus besos. I will die without your kisses. Me choca cuando se mueren los escritores que me gustan. I am shocked when writers that I like die. Mis abuelos se murieron en Colombia y yo no pude ir a sus funerales. My grandparents died in Colombia and I couldnt go to their funerals. However, this isnt a hard and fast rule. You might also think of morirse as being more informal or less serious-sounding than morir. Or you might think of morirse as a somewhat softer form of the verb. If youre uncertain which one to use, morir is probably the safer choice.