Mirarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb mirarse means to look at oneself, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Mirarse means to look at yourself, and it is used for checking your reflection in a mirror, looking at your own hands or looking at each other. It is reflexive because the looking falls back on you, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, mirarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me miro en el espejo antes de salir, and in the preterite you say me miré en el espejo del baño. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: mirarse
  • English: to look at oneself
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: mirando
  • Past participle: mirado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + mirado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for mirarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Mirarse is reflexive: me miro en el espejo. Mirar without the pronoun means looking at something else.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for mirarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

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

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me miré
tú te miraste
él/ella/Ud. se miró
nosotros/as nos miramos
vosotros/as os mirasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se miraron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me miraba
tú te mirabas
él/ella/Ud. se miraba
nosotros/as nos mirábamos
vosotros/as os mirabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se miraban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me miraré
tú te mirarás
él/ella/Ud. se mirará
nosotros/as nos miraremos
vosotros/as os miraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mirarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me miraría
tú te mirarías
él/ella/Ud. se miraría
nosotros/as nos miraríamos
vosotros/as os miraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mirarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he mirado
tú te has mirado
él/ella/Ud. se ha mirado
nosotros/as nos hemos mirado
vosotros/as os habéis mirado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han mirado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había mirado
tú te habías mirado
él/ella/Ud. se había mirado
nosotros/as nos habíamos mirado
vosotros/as os habíais mirado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían mirado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré mirado
tú te habrás mirado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá mirado
nosotros/as nos habremos mirado
vosotros/as os habréis mirado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán mirado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría mirado
tú te habrías mirado
él/ella/Ud. se habría mirado
nosotros/as nos habríamos mirado
vosotros/as os habríais mirado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían mirado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me mire
tú te mires
él/ella/Ud. se mire
nosotros/as nos miremos
vosotros/as os miréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se miren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me mirara
tú te miraras
él/ella/Ud. se mirara
nosotros/as nos miráramos
vosotros/as os mirarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se miraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te mira
él/ella/Ud. se mire
nosotros/as nos miremos
vosotros/as os mirad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se miren

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te mires
él/ella/Ud. se mire
nosotros/as nos miremos
vosotros/as os miréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se miren

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund mirando with estar for the progressive: estoy mirando (or me estoy mirando for this reflexive verb)
Past participle mirado with haber for the perfect tenses: he mirado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me miro en el espejo antes de salir. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me miré las manos después del jardín. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me miraba en el espejo del baño. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me miraré a los ojos con cariño. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me miraría en el espejo antes de salir si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he mirado las manos después del jardín. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había mirado en el espejo del baño antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré mirado a los ojos con cariño. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría mirado en el espejo antes de salir con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se mire las manos después del jardín. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se mirara en el espejo del baño, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se mire a los ojos con cariño. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mirarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te mires en el espejo antes de salir. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with mirarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me miro en el espejo antes de salir. — I look at myself in the mirror before going out.
  2. Se mira las manos después del jardín. — He/she looks at himself my hands after working in the garden.
  3. Ayer, me miré en el espejo del baño. — Yesterday, I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos mirábamos a los ojos con cariño. — Before, we used to look at ourselves into each other's eyes with love.
  5. Mañana, tú te mirarás en el espejo antes de salir. — Tomorrow, you will look at yourself in the mirror before going out.
  6. Yo me miraría las manos después del jardín si tuviera más tiempo. — I would look at myself my hands after working in the garden if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha mirado en el espejo del baño. — He has looked at himself in the bathroom mirror.
  8. Espero que él se mire a los ojos con cariño. — I hope he looks at himself into each other's eyes with love.
  9. Yo ya me había mirado en el espejo antes de salir antes de salir. — I had already looked at myself in the mirror before going out before leaving.
  10. Ellos se miraban las manos después del jardín cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to look at themselves my hands after working in the garden when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo miro en el espejo antes de salir. — Right: Yo me miro en el espejo antes de salir. — Mirarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo miro las manos después del jardín. — Right: Ayer yo miré las manos después del jardín. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: miro is happening now, while miré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating mirarse and verse as identical in every context. — Right: Mirarse means to look at oneself, while verse means to see oneself. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: mirarse fits sentences such as Me miro en el espejo antes de salir, while verse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy mirado las manos después del jardín. — Right: Yo he mirado las manos después del jardín. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he mirado, has mirado, ha mirado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo miré en el espejo del baño todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo miraba en el espejo del baño todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (miraba), not the preterite. The preterite (miré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on mirarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el espejo antes de salir. (present tense) A. me miro B. te miras C. se mira D. nos miramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ las manos después del jardín. (preterite) A. me miré B. te miraste C. se miraron D. se miró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en el espejo del baño. (imperfect) A. te mirabas B. se miraban C. nos mirábamos D. me miraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a los ojos con cariño. (future) A. nos miraremos B. te mirarás C. me miraré D. se mirará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el espejo antes de salir si pudiera. (conditional) A. me miraría B. te mirarías C. se miraría D. se mirarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ las manos después del jardín. (present subjunctive) A. me mire B. te mires C. nos miremos D. se mire

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en el espejo del baño, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se mirara B. nos miráramos C. me mirara D. te miraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a los ojos con cariño. (present perfect) A. se han mirado B. nos hemos mirado C. me he mirado D. te has mirado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ en el espejo antes de salir. (negative imperative, tú) A. te mires B. se mire C. nos miremos D. os miréis

  10. Which is the gerund of mirarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. mirado B. miro C. miré D. mirando

Answer key

  1. me miro — The first-person present of mirarse is me miro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se miró — The third-person preterite of mirarse is se miró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos mirábamos — The nosotros imperfect of mirarse is nos mirábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te mirarás — The second-person future of mirarse is te mirarás.
  5. me miraría — The first-person conditional of mirarse is me miraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se mire — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of mirarse is se mire.
  7. me mirara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of mirarse is me mirara.
  8. nos hemos mirado — The nosotros present perfect of mirarse is nos hemos mirado: hemos + mirado.
  9. te mires — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te mires.
  10. mirando — The gerund of mirarse is mirando: estoy mirando. The participle mirado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does mirarse mean in English?

Mirarse means to look at oneself. It is used in everyday situations such as Me miro en el espejo antes de salir. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is mirarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Mirarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me miro en el espejo antes de salir and él se mira las manos después del jardín. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between mirarse and verse?

Mirarse means to look at oneself, while verse means to see oneself. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use mirarse when you mean to look at oneself, as in Me miro en el espejo antes de salir, and use verse for to see oneself. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I look at oneself” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me miré las manos después del jardín. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me miraba en el espejo del baño. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he mirado las manos después del jardín.

How do I practise mirarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the mirarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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