mirar
/miˈɾaɾ/
To look in Spanish is mirar.
The verb mirar is the most common way to say 'to look' in Spanish, meaning to direct your gaze toward someone or something to see them. It is important to distinguish this from buscar, which means 'to look for' or 'to search' and from ver, which refers to the act of seeing or perceiving. For a more informal way to say 'to take a look' or 'to cast a glance', you can use the expression Echar un vistazo.
Which one should you use?
While mirar involves the intentional act of directing your gaze (to look), ver is used for the sense of seeing or perceiving with your eyes. If you want to express looking for something, use buscar. For formal contexts, you might use observar to mean observing or closely examining, examinar to mean looking at something methodically or contemplar to describe looking at something intently or admiring it.
How does it change in a sentence?
When the object of your gaze is a person, you must use the preposition a after the verb (mirar a).
How do you pronounce it?
/miˈɾaɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use ver when they actually mean the intentional action of mirar.
Did you know?
- In several Spanish-speaking cultures, people may point with their lips rather than their fingers when saying mira to draw attention to something.
- The verb mirar actually shares its roots with the English word 'admire', as both stem from the Latin 'mirari', meaning 'to wonder at' or 'to marvel at'.
- An architectural lookout or a viewpoint is called a mirador, which is a noun derived directly from the verb mirar.
Examples in context
- Trataba de no mirar.I was trying not to look.This sentence is useful for practicing the negative form of mirar.Tatoeba #2769297 by marcelostockle, translation #2689341 by fekundulo
- No me atreví a mirar.I didn't dare to look.This sentence shows how to use mirar with the verb 'to dare'.Tatoeba #2970288 by pipus_net, translation #2969298 by megamanenm
- Y ahora quiero mirarlo.And now I want to look at it.This sentence demonstrates how to use mirar with a direct object.Tatoeba #1126167 by cueyayotl, translation #9732876 by 6dDcHYgMAg
- Voy a echar un vistazo a la nueva tienda de ropa.I'm going to take a look at the new clothing store.
- Él mira el paisaje mientras pasea.He looks at the landscape while walking.
- Vamos a buscar un restaurante en el centro.We are going to look for a restaurant downtown.
- El científico observa el comportamiento de los animales.The scientist observes the behavior of the animals.
- María contempla el hermoso atardecer desde la playa.María looks at the beautiful sunset from the beach.
- Voy a ojear el periódico para ver si hay algún artículo interesante.I'm going to glance at the newspaper to see if there's any interesting article.
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are standing on a balcony looking at the city lights.
- MateoMira las luces de la ciudad.Look at the city lights.
- LucíaSon muy bonitas, Mateo.They are very beautiful, Mateo.
- Mateo¿Puedes mirar hacia allá, hacia el parque?Can you look over there, toward the park?
- LucíaSí, lo veo.Yes, I see it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mirar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mirar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
