Introduction

Mostrare means “to show”, and this page covers exactly one thing: mostrare in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for mostrare, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about mostrare in the present. 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. For example: “Lui mostra la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He shows Maria the photo.” Everything on this page uses the forms of mostrare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Mostrare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io mostro
tu mostri
lui/lei mostra
noi mostriamo
voi mostrate
loro mostrano
Gerund: mostrando · Past participle: mostrato
The gerund is mostrando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Mostrando la foto a Maria, imparo molto.” — “While showing Maria the photo, I learn a lot.” The past participle is mostrato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho mostrato is the passato prossimo, 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 mostrare is used.
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.

How the present of mostrare is formed

The present tense of mostrare has six forms: io mostro, tu mostri, lui mostra, noi mostriamo, voi mostrate, loro mostrano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. mostrare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of mostrare are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning mostriamo and mostrate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so mostro can mean both “I show” and “I am showing” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because mostrare is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -are endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -are verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of mostrare

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

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and mostrare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I show Maria the photo.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about mostrare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui mostra la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He shows Maria the photo.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with mostrare in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi mostriamo la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “We show Maria the photo.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu mostri la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You show Maria the photo.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and mostrare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro mostrano la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “They show Maria the photo.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui mostra la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He shows Maria the photo”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.” — “He has shown Maria the photo”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I show Maria the photo”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.” — “I have shown Maria the photo”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu mostri la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You show Maria the photo”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.” — “You have shown Maria the photo”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: mostrare 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 and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I show Maria the photo”
  2. “Tu mostri la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You show Maria the photo”
  3. “Lui mostra la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He shows Maria the photo”
  4. “Noi mostriamo la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “We show Maria the photo”
  5. “Voi mostrate la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You show Maria the photo”
  6. “Loro mostrano la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “They show Maria the photo”
  7. “Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I show Maria the photo”
  8. “Lui mostra la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He shows Maria the photo”

Common mistakes

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: “Io mostri la foto a Maria.” Right: “Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is mostro, not mostri. mostri is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi mostro la foto a Maria.” Right: “Noi mostriamo la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form mostriamo. mostro belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho mostrato la foto a Maria questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho mostrato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io mostrare la foto a Maria.” Right: “Io mostro la foto a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive mostrare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form mostro.

Quiz: test yourself

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. What is the io form of mostrare in the Present indicative?

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

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

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

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

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

  4. What is the noi form of mostrare in the Present indicative?

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

  5. What is the voi form of mostrare in the Present indicative?

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

  6. What is the loro form of mostrare in the Present indicative?

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

  7. What is the io form of mostrare in the Present indicative?

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

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

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

Answer key

  1. B) mostro — the correct form is mostro. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) mostri — the correct form is mostri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) mostra — the correct form is mostra. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) mostriamo — the correct form is mostriamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) mostrate — the correct form is mostrate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) mostrano — the correct form is mostrano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) mostro — the correct form is mostro. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) mostri — the correct form is mostri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does mostrare mean in English?

mostrare means “to show”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of mostrare formed?

The six present forms are: io mostro, tu mostri, lui mostra, noi mostriamo, voi mostrate, loro mostrano. mostrare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of mostrare?

The gerund is mostrando and the past participle is mostrato.

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