Spanish · Everyday Verbs
"to look / to watch" in Spanish: mirar
mirar
Note: to watch: ver
To look or watch in Spanish often uses mirar. Present forms include miro, miras, and mira. Mirar stresses deliberate looking; ver is plain seeing.
At a museum
Miro el cuadro con calma.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce mirar
Say it
mee-RAHR / MEE-roh
/mi.ˈɾaɾ/
Mirar is mee-RAHR. Miro is MEE-roh. Soft r flap in mirar.
"to look / to watch" in Spanish: quick reference
| Spanish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| mirar | to look / to watch Dictionary form. | Dictionary form. |
| miro | I look / I watch First-person present. | First-person present. |
| miras / mira | you look / he-she looks ¡Mira! also means look! | ¡Mira! also means look! |
| miramos / miran | we look / they look Plural forms. | Plural forms. |
| mirar la tele | to watch TV Common everyday chunk. | Common everyday chunk. |
How to use mirar in real life
- 1At a museum
Miro el cuadro con calma.
I look at the painting calmly.
Miro marks intentional looking.
- 2On the street
¿Miras el semáforo antes de cruzar?
Do you look at the traffic light before crossing?
Miras is the tú form.
- 3Evening plans
Queremos mirar una serie corta.
We want to watch a short series.
Mirar stays infinitive after queremos.
Mistakes English speakers make with mirar
Incorrect: Yo mirar la tele.
Correct: Yo miro la tele.
Conjugate mirar: yo miro.
Incorrect: Miro, pero no entiendo el sonido.
Correct: Oigo / Escucho, pero no entiendo el sonido.
Looking is mirar; hearing uses oír or escuchar.
Good to know
¡Mira! is a quick attention call across Latin America. For TV, both mirar la tele and ver la tele are common.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Watching the street from a balcony
ChatPal
¿Miras el desfile desde aquí?
Are you watching the parade from here?
You
Sí. Miro todo con atención.
Yes. I'm watching everything carefully.
ChatPal
Yo miro a la banda ahora.
I'm looking at the band now.
You
Espera. Quiero mirar esa carroza también.
Wait. I want to look at that float too.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to look / to watch" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to look / to watch" in Spanish
How do I conjugate mirar in the present?
Miro, miras, mira, miramos, miran.
Mirar or ver?
Mirar is look/watch on purpose. Ver is see.
What does ¡Mira! mean?
Look! It grabs attention fast.
How do you pronounce mira?
MEE-rah. Stress on mee.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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