Mirar Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Mirar (to look, to watch) is one of the most used verbs in Spanish and it is completely regular: it follows the -ar verb pattern in every tense. Note that mirar takes a direct object with no preposition: miro la tele (I watch TV), not "miro a la tele".

Indicative Tenses of Mirar

Mirar in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Miro la tele todas las noches (I watch TV every night).

Present tense rules →

Mirar in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ayer miré las fotos del viaje (Yesterday I looked at the trip photos).

Preterite rules →

Mirar in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he mirado el móvil demasiadas veces (Today I have looked at my phone too many times).

Present perfect rules →

Mirar in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De niño miraba dibujos animados cada tarde (As a child I used to watch cartoons every afternoon).

Imperfect rules →

Mirar in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando entró, ya había mirado el reloj tres veces (When he came in, I had already looked at the clock three times).

Past perfect rules →

Mirar in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Mañana miraré los precios en varias tiendas (Tomorrow I will check the prices in several shops).

Future tense rules →

Mirar in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para esta noche ya habré mirado todo el informe (By tonight I will have gone through the whole report).

Future perfect rules →

Mirar in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo en tu lugar miraría las opiniones antes de comprar (If I were you, I would check the reviews before buying).

Conditional rules →

Mirar in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Habría mirado el mapa, pero me quedé sin batería (I would have checked the map, but my phone died).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Mirar

Present Subjunctive of Mirar (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Quiero que mires bien antes de cruzar (I want you to look carefully before crossing).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Mirar (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Espero que hayas mirado el horario del tren (I hope you have checked the train timetable).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Mirar (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si miraras los detalles, lo entenderías (If you looked at the details, you would understand it).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Mirar (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras mirado el cartel, no te habrías perdido (If you had looked at the sign, you would not have gotten lost).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Mirar

Affirmative Commands of Mirar (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Mira por dónde caminas! (Watch where you walk!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Mirar (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No mires el sol directamente (Don't look directly at the sun).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Mirar

• Mirar por encima del hombro - to look down on someone
• Mirar de reojo - to glance sideways, to look out of the corner of one's eye
• Mirar las estrellas - to gaze at the stars
• Mirarse al espejo - to look at oneself in the mirror
• De mírame y no me toques - very fragile or delicate