Miro alrededor, pero no veo a mis amigos.

In Spanish, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• miro = I look
• The -o ending tells you it is yo.

So Miro alrededor is a very natural way to say I look around.
You could say Yo miro alrededor, but it would usually add emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Both are in the present simple tense.

• miro = I look
• veo = I see

In this sentence, the speaker is describing what is happening now:

• Miro alrededor = I look around
• no veo a mis amigos = I don’t see my friends

Because ver (to see) is irregular in the yo form of the present tense.

Its present forms are:

• yo veo
• tú ves
• él/ella/usted ve
• nosotros vemos
• vosotros veis
• ellos/ellas/ustedes ven

So veo is simply the correct I form of ver.

Here, alrededor means around.

In Miro alrededor, it works like an adverb, describing how/where the speaker looks:

• mirar alrededor = to look around

You may also see related expressions like:

• a mi alrededor = around me
• alrededor de la casa = around the house

But in this sentence, alrededor on its own is perfectly natural.

Yes. Miro alrededor and Miro a mi alrededor are both possible.

The difference is mainly nuance:

• Miro alrededor = I look around
• Miro a mi alrededor = I look around me

The second one feels a bit more explicit, but both are common and natural.

Because pero means but, and it connects two clauses:

• Miro alrededor
• pero no veo a mis amigos

In Spanish, it is normal to put a comma before pero when it joins two full ideas. This is similar to English punctuation in many cases.

In Spanish, standard negation usually puts no directly before the verb.

• veo = I see
• no veo = I do not see / I don’t see

So:

• No veo a mis amigos = I don’t see my friends

This is one of the most basic Spanish negative patterns.

This is because of the personal a.

In Spanish, when the direct object is a specific person or people, you usually put a before it.

So:

• veo el coche = I see the car
• veo a mi amigo = I see my friend
• veo a mis amigos = I see my friends

Even though my friends are the direct object, Spanish still uses a because they are people.

No, not directly.

English says:

• I see my friends

Spanish says:

• veo a mis amigos

That a is required by Spanish grammar, but it usually does not get translated as a separate word in English.

Because mis is the plural possessive adjective meaning my.

Compare:

• mi amigo = my friend
• mis amigos = my friends

The possessive changes to match the number of the noun:

• mi
  • singular noun
• mis
  • plural noun

And amigo becomes amigos because it is plural.

Not necessarily.

In Spanish, the masculine plural can refer to:

• a group of male friends, or
• a mixed group of male and female friends

So mis amigos could mean:

• my male friends, or
• my friends in a mixed group

If the group is entirely female, you would say mis amigas.

Because the second part contrasts with the first.

• Miro alrededor = the speaker looks around
• pero no veo a mis amigos = the result is negative or unexpected

So pero (but) is the natural conjunction here, because it shows contrast:

• I look around, but I don’t see my friends.

If you used y (and), the contrast would be weaker.

Grammatically, the Spanish present tense can do both, depending on context.

It can mean:

• I look around, but I don’t see my friends right now, or
• in some contexts, a more general/habitual idea

However, without extra context, this sentence most naturally sounds like something happening now or in a vivid narration.

No. They are related, but not the same.

• mirar = to look
  This usually involves directing your eyes intentionally.
• ver = to see
  This is about perceiving something with your eyes.

So in the sentence:

• Miro alrededor = I look around
• no veo a mis amigos = I don’t see my friends

That distinction is exactly the same as look vs see in English.

In standard Spanish, that would sound wrong or at least incomplete in this context.

Because mis amigos refers to specific people, the normal form is:

• No veo a mis amigos

The personal a is expected here.

No, the sentence would stay the same:

• Miro alrededor, pero no veo a mis amigos.

The verb forms do not change based on the speaker’s gender.

The only possible change would be if the speaker wanted to refer specifically to female friends:

• ...no veo a mis amigas = ...I don’t see my female friends