Mirar or ver?
Mirar = to look at something on purpose: mira esto. Ver = to see (with your eyes, often without trying): no veo nada. For TV and movies, Spanish uses ver more often: ver una película. And mirar doesn't need "at": miro el mar (I look at the sea).
Indicative tenses of mirar
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | miroI look |
|---|---|
| tú | mirasyou look |
| él/ella/usted | mirahe/she looks |
| nosotros/as | miramoswe look |
| vosotros/as | miráisyou all look |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | miranthey look |
Preterite indicative
| yo | miréI looked |
|---|---|
| tú | mirasteyou looked |
| él/ella/usted | miróhe/she looked |
| nosotros/as | miramoswe looked |
| vosotros/as | mirasteisyou all looked |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | miraronthey looked |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | mirabaI used to look |
|---|---|
| tú | mirabasyou used to look |
| él/ella/usted | mirabahe/she used to look |
| nosotros/as | mirábamoswe used to look |
| vosotros/as | mirabaisyou all used to look |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | mirabanthey used to look |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy mirandoI am looking |
|---|---|
| tú | estás mirandoyou are looking |
| él/ella/usted | está mirandohe/she is looking |
| nosotros/as | estamos mirandowe are looking |
| vosotros/as | estáis mirandoyou all are looking |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están mirandothey are looking |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a mirarI am going to look |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a miraryou are going to look |
| él/ella/usted | va a mirarhe/she is going to look |
| nosotros/as | vamos a mirarwe are going to look |
| vosotros/as | vais a miraryou all are going to look |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a mirarthey are going to look |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | miraréI will look |
|---|---|
| tú | mirarásyou will look |
| él/ella/usted | miraráhe/she will look |
| nosotros/as | miraremoswe will look |
| vosotros/as | miraréisyou all will look |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | miraránthey will look |
Conditional indicative
| yo | miraríaI would look |
|---|---|
| tú | miraríasyou would look |
| él/ella/usted | miraríahe/she would look |
| nosotros/as | miraríamoswe would look |
| vosotros/as | miraríaisyou all would look |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | miraríanthey would look |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he miradoI have looked |
|---|---|
| tú | has miradoyou have looked |
| él/ella/usted | ha miradohe/she has looked |
| nosotros/as | hemos miradowe have looked |
| vosotros/as | habéis miradoyou all have looked |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han miradothey have looked |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había miradoI had looked |
|---|---|
| tú | habías miradoyou had looked |
| él/ella/usted | había miradohe/she had looked |
| nosotros/as | habíamos miradowe had looked |
| vosotros/as | habíais miradoyou all had looked |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían miradothey had looked |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré miradoI will have looked |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás miradoyou will have looked |
| él/ella/usted | habrá miradohe/she will have looked |
| nosotros/as | habremos miradowe will have looked |
| vosotros/as | habréis miradoyou all will have looked |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán miradothey will have looked |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría miradoI would have looked |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías miradoyou would have looked |
| él/ella/usted | habría miradohe/she would have looked |
| nosotros/as | habríamos miradowe would have looked |
| vosotros/as | habríais miradoyou all would have looked |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían miradothey would have looked |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of mirar
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | mire(that) I look |
|---|---|
| tú | mires(that) you look |
| él/ella/usted | mire(that) he/she looks |
| nosotros/as | miremos(that) we look |
| vosotros/as | miréis(that) you all look |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | miren(that) they look |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | mirara(if) I looked |
|---|---|
| tú | miraras(if) you looked |
| él/ella/usted | mirara(if) he/she looked |
| nosotros/as | miráramos(if) we looked |
| vosotros/as | mirarais(if) you all looked |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | miraran(if) they looked |
Future subjunctive
| yo | mirare(if) I look |
|---|---|
| tú | mirares(if) you look |
| él/ella/usted | mirare(if) he/she looks |
| nosotros/as | miráremos(if) we look |
| vosotros/as | mirareis(if) you all look |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | miraren(if) they look |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya mirado(that) I have looked |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas mirado(that) you have looked |
| él/ella/usted | haya mirado(that) he/she has looked |
| nosotros/as | hayamos mirado(that) we have looked |
| vosotros/as | hayáis mirado(that) you all have looked |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan mirado(that) they have looked |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera mirado(if) I had looked |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras mirado(if) you had looked |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera mirado(if) he/she had looked |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos mirado(if) we had looked |
| vosotros/as | hubierais mirado(if) you all had looked |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran mirado(if) they had looked |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere mirado(if) I will have looked |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres mirado(if) you will have looked |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere mirado(if) he/she will have looked |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos mirado(if) we will have looked |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis mirado(if) you all will have looked |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren mirado(if) they will have looked |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of mirar
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | miralook! |
|---|---|
| usted | mirelook! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | miremoslet's look! |
| vosotros/as | miradlook! (you all) |
| ustedes | mirenlook! (you all, formal) |
¡Mira! (look!) is also used just to get attention: "hey, listen…".
Negative imperative
| tú | no miresdon't look! |
|---|---|
| usted | no miredon't look! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no miremoslet's not look! |
| vosotros/as | no miréisdon't look! (you all) |
| ustedes | no mirendon't look! (you all, formal) |
Practice mirar
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and mirar.
How to use mirar
Mira esa foto.
Look at that photo.
Mira, te lo explico.
Look, I'll explain it to you.
Voy a mirar el horario.
I'm going to check the timetable.
Me gusta mirar a la gente.
I like watching people.
La casa mira al mar.
The house faces the sea.
Example sentences with mirar
- ¡Mira!Look!
- ¿Qué miras?What are you looking at?
- Me miró y sonrió.She looked at me and smiled.
- Mirábamos las estrellas.We used to look at the stars.
- Lo miraré esta tarde.I'll take a look at it this afternoon.
- No me mires así.Don't look at me like that.
- Mírame a los ojos.Look me in the eyes.
- ¿Has mirado el correo?Have you checked your email?
Verbs like mirar
Mirar follows the regular -ar pattern. Like buscar (to look for) and escuchar (to listen to), it doesn't need a preposition: miro la tele.
Frequently asked questions about mirar
Is mirar regular or irregular?
Mirar is completely regular. It follows the normal -ar pattern in every tense.
How do you conjugate mirar in the present tense?
miro, miras, mira, miramos, miráis, miran.
What is the difference between mirar and ver?
Mirar = to look at (on purpose). Ver = to see. Miré por la ventana, pero no vi nada (I looked out the window, but I didn't see anything).
Mirar or buscar?
Mirar = to look at. Buscar = to look for. Busco mis gafas (I'm looking for my glasses).
What does "¡mira!" mean?
"Look!" It's also used like "look, …" or "well, …" before explaining something.
What is the past participle of mirar?
The past participle is mirado and the gerund is mirando.
Free cheat sheet
All 18 tenses of mirar, on one page.
Print it, stick it on your fridge, or keep it on your phone. Fill in your name and email and I'll send it straight to your inbox.
📩 Check your inbox! The mirar cheat sheet is on its way.
Paid courses
Ready to actually speak?
Knowing the conjugations is step one. My paid courses take you from tables to real conversations: structured, step by step, with practice built in.
- Conversational courseStop freezing in real conversations
- Verb tenses courseEvery tense, finally clear
Hola, soy Wes!
Your Spanish teacher
A Dutchie who learned Spanish from scratch. I make the lessons I wish I'd had: clear, practical and free.
My story →Support Spanish with Wes!
Did this page help you?
All my lessons, verb charts and cheat sheets are free, and I want to keep it that way. If you'd like to help me make more, you can support me here. Think of it as buying me a café con leche ☕
More Spanish verbs
Verb search
Find any Spanish verb.
Type a verb, an English word or a conjugated form like fui or hubo.