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mostrarle

mos-trar-lemosˈtraɾle

“mostrarle” means “to show him/her/you (formal)” in Spanish (presenting an object or concept to someone).

to show him/her/you (formal)

Also: to display to him/her/you (formal), to point out to him/her/you (formal)
A1irregular (stem-changing E>UE) ar
A brightly colored illustration showing a standing figure holding a bright red apple in their hand and extending it toward a second figure, clearly presenting the object.
infinitivemostrar
gerundmostrando
past Participlemostrado

📝 In Action

Necesito mostrarle el mapa antes de que se vaya.

A2

I need to show him/her the map before he/she leaves.

¡Qué lindo! Tienes que mostrarle la foto a tu abuela.

A1

How nice! You have to show the picture to your grandmother.

Voy a mostrarle cómo funciona este programa.

A1

I am going to show you (formal) how this program works.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • enseñarle (to teach/show him/her)
  • exponerle (to expose/present to him/her)

Antonyms

  • ocultarle (to hide from him/her)

Common Collocations

  • Mostrarle respeto – To show him/her respect
  • Mostrarle el camino – To show him/her the way

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedmuestra
yomuestro
túmuestras
ellos/ellas/ustedesmuestran
nosotrosmostramos
vosotrosmostráis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedmostraba
yomostraba
túmostrabas
ellos/ellas/ustedesmostraban
nosotrosmostrábamos
vosotrosmostrabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedmostró
yomostré
túmostraste
ellos/ellas/ustedesmostraron
nosotrosmostramos
vosotrosmostrasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedmuestre
yomuestre
túmuestres
ellos/ellas/ustedesmuestren
nosotrosmostremos
vosotrosmostréis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedmostrara
yomostrara
túmostraras
ellos/ellas/ustedesmostraran
nosotrosmostráramos
vosotrosmostrarais
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: mostrarle

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'mostrarle'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
mostrar(to show (infinitive)) — Verb
la muestra(sample, display) — Noun
el mostrador(counter (where things are displayed)) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

The verb *mostrar* comes from the Latin verb *monstrare*, which meant 'to point out' or 'to show.' The attached *le* comes from the Latin word *illi*, meaning 'to that person.'

First recorded: 12th century (as *mostrar*)

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: mostrarItalian: mostrare

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Frequently Asked Questions

If I don't attach 'le,' where does it go?

If you conjugate the verb, the pronoun *le* must go immediately before the conjugated verb. For example, instead of *Quiero mostrarle*, you can say *Le quiero mostrar*.

Does 'mostrarle' mean 'show it to him' or 'show him'?

'Mostrarle' means 'to show him/her/you (formal)' something. You still need to mention the thing being shown (the direct object), unless it is understood from the context.