Mostrare Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

mostrare — to show — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to show something to someone, and it is completely regular. It takes two objects in Italian — the thing shown and the person it is shown to — just as it does in English. On this page you will find mostrare in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the mostrare conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the mostrare present tense page.

Example sentences with mostrare

In the present tense

  • “Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I show Maria the photo”
  • “Tu mostri la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You show Maria the photo”
  • “Lui mostra la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He shows Maria the photo”
  • “Noi mostriamo la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “We show Maria the photo”
  • “Voi mostrate la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You show Maria the photo”
  • “Loro mostrano la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “They show Maria the photo”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.” — “I have shown Maria the photo”
  • “Tu hai mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.” — “You have shown Maria the photo”
  • “Lui ha mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.” — “He has shown Maria the photo”
  • “Noi abbiamo mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.” — “We have shown Maria the photo”
  • “Voi avete mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.” — “You have shown Maria the photo”
  • “Loro hanno mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.” — “They have shown Maria the photo”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Io mostravo la foto a Maria una volta.” — “I used to show Maria the photo”
  • “Tu mostrerai la foto a Maria domani.” — “You will show Maria the photo”
  • “Lui mostrerebbe la foto a Maria un giorno.” — “He would show Maria the photo”
  • “È importante che noi mostriamo la foto a Maria.” — “It is important that we show Maria the photo”
  • “Mostra la foto a Maria!” — “Show Maria the photo!”

How mostrare is used

The first thing to know about mostrare is its core meaning: to show. It means to show something to someone, and it is completely regular. It takes two objects in Italian — the thing shown and the person it is shown to — just as it does in English. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the passato prossimo, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company mostrare keeps. The present io form is mostro, and it pairs naturally with the time words ogni giorno and sempre for habits, and with adesso for what is happening right now. The passato prossimo io form is ho mostrato, and it pairs with ieri and questa settimana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what mostrare does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need mostro, never mostrare. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho mostrato, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle mostrato is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Mostrare in context

Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno. Tu mostri la foto a Maria ogni giorno. Lui mostra la foto a Maria ogni giorno. Noi mostriamo la foto a Maria ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of mostrare is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — mostro, mostri, mostra, mostriamo — while the meaning stays the same: to show. Io ho mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana. Tu hai mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana. Lui ha mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana. Noi abbiamo mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of mostrare appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to show — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Io mostrare la foto a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno.”

The infinitive mostrare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form mostro.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io mostri la foto a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno.”

mostri is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is mostro — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io mostro la foto a Maria ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho mostrato here, not the present mostro.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono mostrato la foto a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Io ho mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.”

mostrare takes avere in the passato prossimo. The io form is ho mostrato — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on mostrare across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of mostrare in the Present indicative?

    • A) mostro
    • B) mostri
    • C) mostra
    • D) mostriamo

  2. What is the io form of mostrare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) hai mostrato
    • B) ha mostrato
    • C) ho mostrato
    • D) abbiamo mostrato

  3. What is the lui/lei form of mostrare in the Imperfect?

    • A) mostravo
    • B) mostravi
    • C) mostravamo
    • D) mostrava

  4. What is the noi form of mostrare in the Future?

    • A) mostreremo
    • B) mostrerò
    • C) mostrerai
    • D) mostrerà

  5. What is the tu form of mostrare in the Conditional?

    • A) mostrerei
    • B) mostreresti
    • C) mostrerebbe
    • D) mostreremmo

  6. What is the io form of mostrare in the Passato remoto?

    • A) mostrasti
    • B) mostrò
    • C) mostrai
    • D) mostrammo

  7. What is the noi form of mostrare in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) mostri
    • B) mostriate
    • C) mostrino
    • D) mostriamo

  8. What is the gerund of mostrare?

    • A) mostrando
    • B) mostrato
    • C) mostrare
    • D) mostro

  9. What is the past participle of mostrare?

    • A) mostrando
    • B) mostrato
    • C) mostrare
    • D) mostro

  10. What does mostrare mean in English?

  • A) to sit down
  • B) to get dressed
  • C) to show
  • D) to call

Answer key

  1. B) mostri — the correct form is mostri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho mostrato — the correct form is ho mostrato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) mostrava — the correct form is mostrava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) mostreremo — the correct form is mostreremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) mostreresti — the correct form is mostreresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) mostrai — the correct form is mostrai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) mostriamo — the correct form is mostriamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) mostrando — the correct form is mostrando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) mostrato — the correct form is mostrato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to show — the correct form is to show. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does mostrare mean in English?

mostrare means “to show”. You use it whenever you talk about to show in Italian, in the present, the past and the future.

Is mostrare regular or irregular?

mostrare is regular. mostrare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of mostrare?

The gerund is mostrando and the past participle is mostrato. The perfect tenses use avere + mostrato.

Where can I see the full conjugation of mostrare?

On the mostrare conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The mostrare present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

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

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