Mostrar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb mostrar means to show, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, mostrar 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 Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos". 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.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: mostrar
  • English: to show
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: mostrando
  • Past participle: mostrado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + mostrado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for mostrar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for mostrar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | muestro | | tú | muestras | | él/ella/Ud. | muestra | | nosotros/as | mostramos | | vosotros/as | mostráis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muestran |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | mostré | | tú | mostraste | | él/ella/Ud. | mostró | | nosotros/as | mostramos | | vosotros/as | mostrasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | mostraron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | mostraba | | tú | mostrabas | | él/ella/Ud. | mostraba | | nosotros/as | mostrábamos | | vosotros/as | mostrabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | mostraban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | mostraré | | tú | mostrarás | | él/ella/Ud. | mostrará | | nosotros/as | mostraremos | | vosotros/as | mostraréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | mostrarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | mostraría | | tú | mostrarías | | él/ella/Ud. | mostraría | | nosotros/as | mostraríamos | | vosotros/as | mostraríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | mostrarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he mostrado | | tú | has mostrado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha mostrado | | nosotros/as | hemos mostrado | | vosotros/as | habéis mostrado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han mostrado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había mostrado | | tú | habías mostrado | | él/ella/Ud. | había mostrado | | nosotros/as | habíamos mostrado | | vosotros/as | habíais mostrado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían mostrado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré mostrado | | tú | habrás mostrado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá mostrado | | nosotros/as | habremos mostrado | | vosotros/as | habréis mostrado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán mostrado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría mostrado | | tú | habrías mostrado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría mostrado | | nosotros/as | habríamos mostrado | | vosotros/as | habríais mostrado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían mostrado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | muestre | | tú | muestres | | él/ella/Ud. | muestre | | nosotros/as | mostremos | | vosotros/as | mostréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muestren |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | mostrara | | tú | mostraras | | él/ella/Ud. | mostrara | | nosotros/as | mostráramos | | vosotros/as | mostrarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | mostraran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | muestra | | él/ella/Ud. | muestre | | nosotros/as | mostremos | | vosotros/as | mostrad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muestren |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | muestres | | él/ella/Ud. | muestre | | nosotros/as | mostremos | | vosotros/as | mostréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muestren |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund mostrando with estar for the progressive: está mostrando
Past participle mostrado with haber for the perfect tenses: he mostrado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For mostrar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos".

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 mostrar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo mostré el camino al visitante — "Yesterday, I showed the way to the visitor".

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 mostrar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo mostraba su pasaporte en la frontera — "As a child, I used to show his passport at the border".

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 mostrar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo mostraré interés por la música — "Tomorrow, I will show interest in music".

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 mostrar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo mostraría sus fotos de las vacaciones si pudiera — "I would show his holiday photos if I could".

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 mostrar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he mostrado el camino al visitante — "Today, I have showed the way to the visitor".

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 mostrar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había mostrado su pasaporte en la frontera antes de salir — "I already had showed his passport at the border before leaving".

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 mostrar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré mostrado interés por la música — "By tomorrow, I will have showed interest in music".

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 mostrar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría mostrado sus fotos de las vacaciones con más tiempo — "I would have showed his holiday photos with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For mostrar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él muestre el camino al visitante — "I hope he shows the way to the visitor".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 mostrar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo mostrara su pasaporte en la frontera, todo cambiaría — "If I showed his passport at the border, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For mostrar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Muestra interés por la música. — "Show interest in music.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For mostrar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No muestres sus fotos de las vacaciones. — "Do not show his holiday photos.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos"
  2. Mi amigo muestra el camino al visitante — "My friend shows the way to the visitor"
  3. Ayer, yo mostré su pasaporte en la frontera — "Yesterday, I showed his passport at the border"
  4. Antes, nosotros mostrábamos interés por la música — "Before, we used to show interest in music"
  5. Mañana, tú mostrarás la casa a los compradores — "Tomorrow, you will show the house to the buyers"
  6. Yo mostraría sus fotos de las vacaciones si tuviera más tiempo — "I would show his holiday photos if I had more time"
  7. Él ha mostrado el camino al visitante — "He has showed the way to the visitor"
  8. Espero que él muestre su pasaporte en la frontera — "I hope he shows his passport at the border"
  9. Yo ya había mostrado interés por la música antes de salir — "I already had showed interest in music before leaving"
  10. Ellos mostraban la casa a los compradores cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to show the house to the buyers when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo mostro el camino al visitante. — Right: Yo muestro el camino al visitante. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él muestra el camino al visitante — Right: Espero que él muestre el camino al visitante — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él muestre el camino al visitante — not the indicative Espero que él muestra el camino al visitante.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo muestro su pasaporte en la frontera — Right: Ayer, yo mostré su pasaporte en la frontera — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo mostré su pasaporte en la frontera.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo mostré interés por la música todos los días — Right: De niño, yo mostraba interés por la música todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo mostraba interés por la música todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo muestro en sus fotos de las vacaciones. — Right: Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones. — mostrar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos" (present) A. muestras B. muestra C. mostramos D. muestro

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el camino al visitante — "He showed the way to the visitor" (preterite) A. mostraste B. mostramos C. mostró D. mostré

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ su pasaporte en la frontera — "We used to show his passport at the border" (imperfect) A. mostrabais B. mostrábamos C. mostraba D. mostrabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ interés por la música — "You will show interest in music" (future) A. mostrarás B. mostraré C. mostrará D. mostraremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la casa a los compradores — "I would show the house to the buyers" (conditional) A. mostraríais B. mostraría C. mostrarías D. mostraríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I hope he shows his holiday photos" (present subjunctive) A. muestres B. mostremos C. mostréis D. muestre

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el camino al visitante, todo cambiaría — "If I showed the way to the visitor, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. mostráramos B. mostrarais C. mostrara D. mostraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ su pasaporte en la frontera — "We have showed his passport at the border" (present perfect) A. ha mostrado B. hemos mostrado C. he mostrado D. has mostrado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ interés por la música. — "Do not show interest in music." (negative imperative) A. muestres B. muestre C. mostremos D. mostréis

  10. Which is the gerund of mostrar, used with estar for the progressive? A. muestro B. mostré C. mostrando D. mostrado

Answer key

  1. muestro — The present form for yo is muestro.
  2. mostró — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is mostró.
  3. mostrábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is mostrábamos.
  4. mostrarás — The future form for tú is mostrarás.
  5. mostraría — The conditional form for yo is mostraría.
  6. muestre — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is muestre.
  7. mostrara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is mostrara.
  8. hemos mostrado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos mostrado.
  9. muestres — The negative imperative form is muestres.
  10. mostrando — The gerund of mostrar is mostrando: estoy mostrando. The participle mostrado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does mostrar mean in English?

mostrar means to show. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo muestro sus fotos de las vacaciones — "I show his holiday photos". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is mostrar regular?

No. mostrar is a stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue). 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, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

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 I say "I show" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo mostré el camino al visitante — "Yesterday, I showed the way to the visitor". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo mostraba su pasaporte en la frontera — "As a child, I used to show his passport at the border". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he mostrado el camino al visitante — "Today, I have showed the way to the visitor".

What is the difference between mostrar and demostrar?

Demostrar adds proof: you demonstrate a theory or your innocence. Mostrar is the plain act of showing, with no proof involved. 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.

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