Mirarse in the Present Tense

Mirarse means “to look at oneself”, and this page covers exactly one thing: mirarse in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for mirarse, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about mirarse in the present. For example: “Yo me miro en el espejo antes de salir.” — I look at myself in the mirror before going out. Everything on this page uses the forms of mirarse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Mirarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me miro
tú te miras
él/ella/Ud. se mira
nosotros/as nos miramos
vosotros/as os miráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se miran

Gerund: mirando · Past participle: mirado

The gerund is mirando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy mirando” means the action of mirarse is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is mirado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he mirado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how mirarse is used.

How the present of mirarse is formed

Mirarse is regular in the present tense. Take the stem mir and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving miro, miras, mira, miramos, miráis, miran. Watch the accents: the yo form is miro and the él/ella/Ud. form is mira. Because mirarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before each form: me miro, te miras, se mira, nos miramos, os miráis, se miran.

When to use the present of mirarse

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use mirarse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and mirarse is no exception. Example: “Yo me miro en el espejo antes de salir todos los días.” — I look at myself in the mirror before going out every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what mirarse means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Se mira las manos después del jardín.” — He/she looks at himself my hands after working in the garden.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo me miro en el espejo del baño ahora.” — I look at myself in the bathroom mirror now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros nos miramos a los ojos con cariño.” — We look at ourselves into each other's eyes with love.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú te miras en el espejo antes de salir.” — You look at yourself in the mirror before going out.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo me miro en el espejo antes de salir todos los días.” — I look at myself in the mirror before going out every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo me miré en el espejo antes de salir.” — Yesterday, I looked at myself in the mirror before going out.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él se mira las manos después del jardín cada semana.” — He/she looks at himself my hands after working in the garden every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él se miró las manos después del jardín.” — Last week, he looked at himself my hands after working in the garden.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros nos miramos en el espejo del baño a menudo.” — We look at ourselves in the bathroom mirror often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros nos miramos en el espejo del baño.” — Yesterday, we looked at ourselves in the bathroom mirror.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: mirarse in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Me miro en el espejo antes de salir.” — I look at myself in the mirror before going out.

  2. “Te miras las manos después del jardín.” — You look at yourself my hands after working in the garden.

  3. “Se mira en el espejo del baño.” — He/she looks at himself in the bathroom mirror.

  4. “Nos miramos a los ojos con cariño.” — We look at ourselves into each other's eyes with love.

  5. “Os miráis en el espejo antes de salir.” — You look at yourselves in the mirror before going out.

  6. “Se miran las manos después del jardín.” — They look at themselves my hands after working in the garden.

  7. “Me miro en el espejo del baño.” — I look at myself in the bathroom mirror.

  8. “Se mira a los ojos con cariño.” — He/she looks at himself into each other's eyes with love.

Common mistakes with mirarse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo miro en el espejo antes de salir.” Right: “Yo me miro en el espejo antes de salir.” Why: Mirarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required before every form. Without it the sentence is incomplete.

  • Wrong: “Yo miro las manos después del jardín ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo miré las manos después del jardín.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to miré.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros miras en el espejo del baño.” Right: “Nosotros nos miramos en el espejo del baño.” Why: Nosotros needs nos miramos. The tú form miras belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos miro a los ojos con cariño todos los días.” Right: “Ellos se miran a los ojos con cariño todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form se miran, not the yo form miro. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: mirarse in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ en el espejo antes de salir.” (In the mirror before going out.)

  • (a) me miro
  • (b) te miras
  • (c) se mira

Answer: me miro — The yo form of mirarse in the present is me miro. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ las manos después del jardín?” (My hands after working in the garden.)

  • (a) me miro
  • (b) se mira
  • (c) te miras

Answer: te miras — The tú form of mirarse in the present is te miras. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ en el espejo del baño.” (In the bathroom mirror.)

  • (a) te miras
  • (b) se mira
  • (c) me miro

Answer: se mira — The él/ella/Ud. form of mirarse in the present is se mira. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a los ojos con cariño.” (Into each other's eyes with love.)

  • (a) nos miramos
  • (b) me miro
  • (c) te miras

Answer: nos miramos — The nosotros/as form of mirarse in the present is nos miramos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of mirarse in the present?

  • (a) me miro
  • (b) te miras
  • (c) os miráis

Answer: os miráis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes os miráis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros os miráis en el espejo antes de salir.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ las manos después del jardín.” (My hands after working in the garden.)

  • (a) te miras
  • (b) se miran
  • (c) me miro

Answer: se miran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of mirarse in the present is se miran. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of mirarse in the present?

  • (a) me miro
  • (b) te miras
  • (c) se mira

Answer: me miro — The yo form is me miro. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo me miré en el espejo antes de salir todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros nos miraremos en el espejo antes de salir mañana.
  • (c) Yo me miro en el espejo antes de salir todos los días.

Answer: Yo me miro en el espejo antes de salir todos los días. — “Yo me miro en el espejo antes de salir todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is mirarse regular in the present?

Yes. Mirarse is regular in the present: miro, miras, mira, miramos, miráis, miran. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of mirarse?

The past participle is mirado: 'He mirado' means 'I have looked at myself'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is mirando.

Does mirarse take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Mirarse is reflexive: me miro en el espejo. Mirar without the pronoun means looking at something else. In the examples on this page, mirarse appears with complements such as en el espejo antes de salir and las manos después del jardín, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of mirarse?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo me miro, tú te miras, él/ella/Ud. se mira, nosotros/as nos miramos, vosotros/as os miráis, ellos/ellas/Uds. se miran. Then write three of your own sentences with mirarse in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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