Mirar means “look at,” “watch,” or “check.” Unlike English look, it normally takes its object directly: mira la pantalla, not a word-for-word construction with a preposition meaning at. It contrasts with veure, which usually presents visual perception or the result of seeing; mirar foregrounds directing one's gaze or attention.
The verb is fully regular first conjugation. Its principal parts are mirar – miro – miri – mira – mirat. There is no irregular stem, no incoative extension, and no defective restriction. What needs care is the syntax of mirar, pronominal mirar-se, and the characteristic construction mirar de + infinitive.
For the perception verb on the other side of this contrast, see the full conjugation of veure.
Nonfinite forms
| Form | Plain | Pronominal |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | mirar | mirar-se |
| Perfect infinitive | haver mirat | haver-se mirat |
| Gerund | mirant | mirant-se |
| Perfect gerund | havent mirat | havent-se mirat |
| Participle | mirat; mirada, mirats, mirades | — |
Perfect tenses use haver + mirat. In pronominal forms, the weak pronoun precedes the conjugated auxiliary: m'he mirat, s'havien mirat. The compound participle is normally invariable; mirada and the plural forms are available as adjectives and where independent agreement rules apply.
Indicative: simple and periphrastic tenses
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | miro | mires | mira | mirem | mireu | miren |
| Imperfect | mirava | miraves | mirava | miràvem | miràveu | miraven |
| Periphrastic past | vaig mirar | vas mirar | va mirar | vam mirar | vau mirar | van mirar |
| Simple past | mirí | mirares | mirà | miràrem | miràreu | miraren |
| Future | miraré | miraràs | mirarà | mirarem | mirareu | miraran |
| Conditional | miraria | miraries | miraria | miraríem | miraríeu | mirarien |
The periphrastic past is neutral in conversation. The simple series is (formal/literary) in most Central usage and remains spoken in some regions. Written accents distinguish mira “looks/look!” from mirà “looked” and mirarà “will look.”
Miro l'horari al mòbil abans de sortir de casa.
I check the timetable on my phone before leaving home.
De petits miràvem els dibuixos mentre esmorzàvem.
When we were children, we used to watch cartoons while having breakfast.
Dissabte vam mirar dues pel·lícules seguides i ens vam adormir al sofà.
On Saturday we watched two films in a row and fell asleep on the sofa.
La comissió mirà amb recel la proposta presentada.
The committee regarded the proposal with suspicion. (formal/literary)
Indicative compound tenses
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present perfect | he mirat | has mirat | ha mirat | hem mirat | heu mirat | han mirat |
| Pluperfect | havia mirat | havies mirat | havia mirat | havíem mirat | havíeu mirat | havien mirat |
| Past anterior | haguí mirat | hagueres mirat | hagué mirat | haguérem mirat | haguéreu mirat | hagueren mirat |
| Future perfect | hauré mirat | hauràs mirat | haurà mirat | haurem mirat | haureu mirat | hauran mirat |
| Conditional perfect | hauria mirat | hauries mirat | hauria mirat | hauríem mirat | hauríeu mirat | haurien mirat |
The past anterior is (formal/literary). The corresponding periphrastic anterior is vaig haver mirat, vas haver mirat, va haver mirat, vam haver mirat, vau haver mirat, van haver mirat.
Ja he mirat la bústia tres vegades i la carta encara no ha arribat.
I've already checked the mailbox three times and the letter still hasn't arrived.
Hauríem mirat el partit si no s'hagués espatllat el televisor.
We would have watched the match if the television hadn't broken.
Subjunctive and imperative
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present subjunctive | miri | miris | miri | mirem | mireu | mirin |
| Imperfect subjunctive | mirés | miressis | mirés | miréssim | miréssiu | miressin |
| Perfect subjunctive | hagi mirat | hagis mirat | hagi mirat | hàgim mirat | hàgiu mirat | hagin mirat |
| Pluperfect subjunctive | hagués mirat | haguessis mirat | hagués mirat | haguéssim mirat | haguéssiu mirat | haguessin mirat |
| Restricted periphrastic series | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indicative past anterior | vaig haver mirat | vas haver mirat | va haver mirat | vam haver mirat | vau haver mirat | van haver mirat |
| Subjunctive past | vagi mirar | vagis mirar | vagi mirar | vàgim mirar | vàgiu mirar | vagin mirar |
| Subjunctive past anterior | vagi haver mirat | vagis haver mirat | vagi haver mirat | vàgim haver mirat | vàgiu haver mirat | vagin haver mirat |
| Addressee | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tu | mira | no miris |
| vostè | miri | no miri |
| nosaltres | mirem | no mirem |
| vosaltres | mireu | no mireu |
| vostès | mirin | no mirin |
The periphrastic subjunctive forms are (regional/formal). In everyday speech, mira is also a discourse marker that gets someone's attention before an explanation. Attached pronouns follow affirmative imperatives but precede negative ones.
Vull que miris si queda llet abans d'anar al supermercat.
I want you to check whether there's any milk left before going to the supermarket.
Si miréssim el problema des d'un altre angle, potser trobaríem la resposta.
If we looked at the problem from another angle, perhaps we'd find the answer.
Mira-te'l amb calma i demà em dius si vols comprar-lo.
Take a careful look at it and tell me tomorrow whether you want to buy it.
Direct objects, pronominal uses, and constructions
The core object follows directly: mirar la gent, mirar el cel, mirar un vídeo. Standard Catalan does not copy English look at with a, nor does an ordinary human object automatically require the Spanish personal a. A weak pronoun replaces the direct object: miro el document → el miro. Pronominal mirar-se can mean look at oneself, look at one another, or examine/read something attentively: mira't al mirall; ens vam mirar; m'he mirat el contracte.
—On són les fotos? —Les miro ara mateix i te'n trio cinc.
—Where are the photos? —I'll look at them right now and choose five for you.
Els dos germans es van mirar i van començar a riure.
The two siblings looked at each other and started laughing.
The governed construction mirar de + infinitive means “try to” or “make an effort to,” often as a tactful request. Its de is mandatory. It does not mean physically looking at the following action.
Mira d'arribar deu minuts abans perquè hem de preparar la sala.
Try to arrive ten minutes early because we have to prepare the room.
Other frequent collocations are mirar cap a “look toward,” mirar per algú “look out for someone,” mirar malament “give a dirty look,” and mirar-s'hi “take care/pay attention.” The clitic hi in mirar-s'hi is lexicalized; dropping it changes the construction.
La infermera s'hi mira molt quan explica la medicació als pacients.
The nurse is very careful when explaining medication to patients.
(Regional: Valencian) first-person present mire and present subjunctive mire, mires... are standard, as is imperfect subjunctive mirara.... (Regional: Balearic) has forms such as mir, miram, mirau within its own standard paradigm. Central miro, mirem, mireu remains the baseline here. The variation is systematic; it is not a license to alternate endings at random.
Common Mistakes
❌ Miro al meu germà mentre m'explica el problema.
Incorrect for the intended direct object—the Spanish-style personal a is not used here.
✅ Miro el meu germà mentre m'explica el problema.
I'm looking at my brother while he explains the problem to me.
❌ Mira de no arribes tard a la visita.
Incorrect—after mirar de, use an infinitive rather than a finite verb.
✅ Mira de no arribar tard a la visita.
Try not to be late for the appointment.
❌ Jo mireixo sempre les ressenyes abans de reservar.
Incorrect—mirar is first conjugation and cannot take the incoative extension.
✅ Jo miro sempre les ressenyes abans de reservar.
I always check the reviews before booking.
❌ Ahir he mirat-me el documental sencer.
Incorrect word order in a compound tense—the weak pronoun precedes the finite auxiliary.
✅ Ahir m'he mirat el documental sencer.
Yesterday I watched the whole documentary.
Key Takeaways
The paradigm is regular: miro, mirava, miraré, miri, mirat. Put a viewed thing directly after mirar, use mirar-se for reflexive, reciprocal, or attentive examination, and preserve de in mirar de + infinitive. Build compound tenses with haver + mirat and place weak pronouns around the verb according to the normal Catalan clitic rules.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Conjugation of veureA1 — Complete contemporary conjugation of veure for sight, understanding, meetings, perception clauses, veure-hi, and regional forms.
- Inherently Pronominal VerbsA2 — Recognize Catalan verbs whose weak reflexive pronoun is part of the verb itself, and use them with the right person, complement, and placement.
- Pronoun Placement Across Verb FormsB1 — Place weak pronouns before finite verbs, after infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative imperatives, and correctly across verb phrases.
- Weak Pronouns with Affirmative CommandsA2 — Learn where Catalan weak pronouns go in affirmative commands and how hyphens, apostrophes, stress, and pronoun clusters work.
- Participles in Compound TensesA2 — Use haver plus a normally invariable participle, place negation and clitics correctly, and recognize restricted object agreement.