Morir vs. morirse
Morir is another one of those verbs that can be used pronominally with a subtle, if any, change in meaning.
Finding a satisfactory explanation as to why one version sounds better than the other is not an easy task. Grammar manuals tend to give vague reasons, to which there are no shortage of exceptions.
The New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish notes that "in formal written Spanish morir is used for all kinds of death. In colloquial and written Spanish morirse is less formal."
As usual, the use of the se aspectual is far more frequent in spoken Spanish, while written Spanish tends to be more impersonal.
Bear in mind the following points when using morirse instead of morir: 1-2
1. when the death comes about as a result of a violent or sudden external event, morir is heavily favoured.
-Dos personas murieron en el accidente de tráfico — Two people died in the car crash
-Muchas personas van a morir por culpa de este virus — Many people are going to die as a result of this virus
-El soldado murió fusilado — The soldier was shot dead
2. when reporting a death matter-of-factly, without emotional response, especially when focusing on when someone died, how many people died, or how they died, morir is preferred (far more common in formal/written Spanish).
-En 2016 más de mil personas murieron de cáncer de pancreas — In 2016 over a thousand people died of pancreatic cancer
-Elvis murió a la edad de 42 años — Elvis died at the age of 42
3. in a figurative sense, morirse is the standard option. [See morirse de/por]
-Me muero de ganas de comer un kebab — I'm dying for a kebab
-La niña se moría de envidia — The girl was green with envy
4. morirse is preferred when it is a natural death, especially when referring to the death of friends or relatives, where we are focusing on the subject of the verb, describing what the subject 'did', so to speak (far more common in spoken/informal Spanish). With the pronominal form, the verb morir tends to be foregrounded in the context and, therefore, is rarely used in subordinate/adjective clauses.
-Juan se murió de cáncer hace poco — Juan recently died of cancer
→Su hijo Juan, que (se) murió de cáncer hace poco, vivía en Francia — Her son Juan, who recently died of cancer, lived in France
-Mi abuelo se murió el año pasado — My grandad died last year
5. morirse is preferred when focusing on the dying process itself, seen as an entire event, rather than just "ceasing to live". For this reason, morirse tends to accept a progressive interpretation when used in the present simple or past imperfect, while morir doesn't.
"Así se emplea la forma no pronominal 'morir' cuando la muerte es producida por causa violenta, accidente, etc. Mientras que con la forma pronominal 'morirse' se hace referencia a la prolongación del momento en que van desapareciendo los signos vitales: 'Se está muriendo en el hospital'. 'Los médicos dicen que se morirá en unas semanas'".3
"[...] el verbo 'morir' (llegar al término de la vida) se realiza en un momento preciso mientras que 'morirse' (iniciar el proceso que nos lleva hasta el final de la vida) hace alusión a un proceso que posee un inicio y un fin".4
-¿Qué te ha dicho el médico? -Que mi padre se muere — What did the doctor say? -My dad's dying ['Se muere' = se está muriendo'; in this example the 'se' is obligatory since it refers to an ongoing process in the present]
-Ahora mismo en África millones de personas se mueren de hambre — Right now millions of people are starving (to death) / dying of starvation in Africa [In this example 'se mueren' can be interpreted as 'se están muriendo', since it is seen as a process that has a duration (see presente progresivo); 'morirse' also favours the idea of figuratively starving to death (i.e. very hungry)]
→→Cada año en África millones de personas (se) mueren de hambre — Each year millions of people die of hunger/ starvation/ starve to death in Africa [They actually die, not in the process of dying]
6. morirse often appears with the dativo ético to denote the person being affected by the death.
-Se le ha muerto un hijo — One of her children has died / She's lost a son/daughter
-Ese año a mi hermano se le murió su mejor amigo — My brother's best friend died that year
This subtle change in meaning is influenced by the se aspectual - read more.
En La Prensa
Las autoridades dijeron el martes que Gustavito, el hipopótamo más querido del país, murió el pasado 26 de febrero por el ataque cobarde de un grupo de desconocidos a golpes y con un cuchillo. EL PAÍS-Mar 4, 2017
Y años después mi tío Miguel cayó en las drogas y se murió. a Voz Libre-Mar 2, 2017
Aunque sea inútil insistir, les recordaré que una Iglesia ocupada en virginidades mientras los niños se mueren de injusticia Periodista Digital-Feb 6, 2017
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