Mirar means 'to look (at)' or 'to watch', a regular -ar verb that comes up constantly in description. A key point: mirar already includes 'at', so you say miro la televisión without an extra preposition. Mirar is active looking, whereas ver is seeing more passively. The command ¡mira! ('look!') is everyday spoken Spanish. Because it is regular and high-frequency, mirar is reliable for describing what you watch and look at across tenses.
Quick facts
Mirar (to look / watch) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Miro la televisión (I watch TV). 'At' is built in.
Mirar for active watching, ver for passive seeing.
¡Mira! (look!).
Note: 'to look for' is buscar, not mirar.
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
mirar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know mirar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice mirar now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: miro, tú: miras, él: mira, nosotros: miramos, vosotros: miráis, ellos: miran
The past participle is mirado (he mirado) and the gerund is mirando (estoy mirando).
Mirar is on the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.