Mostrar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of mostrar — "to show" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for mostrar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Mostrar is the everyday verb for showing: mostrar las fotos, mostrar el camino. It takes a direct object for the thing shown and often an indirect object for the person: le muestro la casa. To see it in a real sentence: Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos".
Present tense conjugation table: mostrar
Every person of mostrar in the present tense. The gerund is mostrando and the past participle is mostrado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | muestro |
| tú | muestras |
| él/ella/Ud. | muestra |
| nosotros/as | mostramos |
| vosotros/as | mostráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | muestran |
How the present of mostrar is formed
The present of mostrar is built from the stem mostr- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | muestro |
| tú | -as | muestras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | muestra |
| nosotros/as | -amos | mostramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | mostráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | muestran |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: muestro, muestras, muestra and muestran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: mostramos, mostráis.
The gerund of mostrar is mostrando and the past participle is mostrado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of mostrar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and mostrar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones" — "Every day, I show his holiday photos"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo muestra el camino al visitante" — "My friend shows the way to the visitor"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo muestro su pasaporte en la frontera" — "Right now, I show his passport at the border"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros mostramos interés por la música" — "Tomorrow, we show interest in music"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos muestran la casa a los compradores" — "They show the house to the buyers"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo mostré sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I showed his holiday photos"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}tú muestras el camino al visitante — "You show the way to the visitor"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú mostrabas el camino al visitante — "You used to show the way to the visitor"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él muestra su pasaporte en la frontera — "He shows his passport at the border"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él mostrará su pasaporte en la frontera — "He will show his passport at the border"
Examples: mostrar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show mostrar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos"
- Tú muestras el camino al visitante — "You show the way to the visitor"
- Él muestra su pasaporte en la frontera — "He shows his passport at the border"
- Nosotros mostramos interés por la música — "We show interest in music"
- Vosotros mostráis la casa a los compradores — "You show the house to the buyers"
- Ellos muestran sus fotos de las vacaciones — "They show his holiday photos"
- Yo muestro el camino al visitante — "I show the way to the visitor"
Common mistakes with mostrar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with mostrar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo mostro sus fotos de las vacaciones.
✓ Correct: Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones.
mostrar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is muestro, not mostro.
✗ *Tú muestra el camino al visitante.
✓ Correct: Tú muestras el camino al visitante.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes muestras, él takes muestra.
✗ *Cada día, yo mostré su pasaporte en la frontera
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo muestro su pasaporte en la frontera
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros mostrais interés por la música.
✓ Correct: Vosotros mostráis interés por la música.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: mostráis, not mostrais.
Quiz: mostrar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of mostrar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of mostrar for tú? A. muestras B. muestro C. muestra D. mostramos
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos" (present) A. muestras B. muestra C. mostramos D. muestro
Complete the sentence: Él ______ el camino al visitante — "He shows the way to the visitor" (present) A. muestro B. muestras C. mostramos D. muestra
Which is the correct present form of mostrar for nosotros? A. muestras B. muestra C. muestran D. mostramos
Which sentence uses mostrar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo mostramos su pasaporte en la frontera B. Mi amigo muestra su pasaporte en la frontera C. Mi amigo muestras su pasaporte en la frontera D. Mi amigo mostraba su pasaporte en la frontera
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ interés por la música — "You show interest in music" (present) A. muestra B. mostráis C. muestro D. muestras
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la casa a los compradores — "They show the house to the buyers" (present) A. muestro B. muestras C. muestra D. muestran
What is the gerund of mostrar? A. muestro B. mostré C. mostrando D. mostrado
Answer key
- muestras — The tú form in the present is muestras.
- muestro — The present form for yo is muestro.
- muestra — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is muestra.
- mostramos — The nosotros form in the present is mostramos.
- Mi amigo muestra su pasaporte en la frontera — Mi amigo muestra su pasaporte en la frontera is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- mostráis — The present form for vosotros/as is mostráis.
- muestran — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is muestran.
- mostrando — The gerund is mostrando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle mostrado.
Frequently asked questions
Is mostrar regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: muestro, muestras, muestra and muestran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: mostramos, mostráis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of mostrar?
The gerund is mostrando and the past participle is mostrado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I show" in the present tense?
Say muestro. For example: Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of mostrar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo mostré sus fotos de las vacaciones — "Yesterday, I showed his holiday photos". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of mostrar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- mostrar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.