mostrar Imperfect Conjugation
mostrar — to show
Mostrar is regular in the imperfect: mostraba, mostrabas, mostraba, mostrábamos, mostrabais, mostraban.
mostrar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe how someone used to show something repeatedly in the past, or to describe a state of 'showing' that was ongoing.
Notes on mostrar in the Imperfect
This tense is regular. There is no stem change here.
Example Sentences
Mi abuelo siempre me mostraba sus inventos.
My grandfather always used to show me his inventions.
yo
Antes, ellos no mostraban interés en el arte.
Before, they didn't show interest in art.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Mostrábamos los pases cada vez que entrábamos.
We were showing the passes every time we entered.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the nosotros form: 'mostrabamos'.
Correct: mostrábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require an accent on the 'a' in the nosotros form.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'mostrar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: muestro
Mostrar is an o > ue stem-changing verb in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: mostré
The preterite of mostrar is regular: mostré, mostraste, mostró, mostramos, mostrasteis, mostraron.
Future
yo: mostraré
The future of mostrar is regular: mostraré, mostrarás, mostrará, mostraremos, mostraréis, mostrarán.
Conditional
yo: mostraría
The conditional of mostrar is regular: mostraría, mostrarías, mostraría, mostraríamos, mostraríais, mostrarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: muestre
The present subjunctive follows the o > ue stem change: muestre, muestres, muestre, mostremos, mostréis, muestren.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: mostrara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular: mostrara, mostraras, mostrara, mostráramos, mostrarais, mostraran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: muestra
Affirmative commands use the stem change: muestra (tú), muestre (usted), mostremos (nosotros), mostrad (vosotros), muestren (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no muestres
Negative commands are based on the present subjunctive: no muestres, no muestre, no mostremos, no mostréis, no muestren.