The preterite of mostrar is used to express when you showed or displayed something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I showed them the photos yesterday” – “Les mostré las fotos ayer.”
This is a regular -ar verb in the preterite tense. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs, making it straightforward to learn and use.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Mostrar (to show) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | mostré |
| Tú | mostraste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | mostró |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | mostramos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | mostrasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | mostraron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Mostrar (to show) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Mostrar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of mostrar expresses completed acts of showing or demonstrating.
To show/display: Used for specific instances of showing something, for example Mostré mis fotos de vacaciones (I showed my vacation photos), or El estudiante mostró su trabajo (The student showed their work).
To demonstrate/prove: Indicates proving or demonstrating something conclusively, for example Mostraron su capacidad en el proyecto (They demonstrated their capability in the project).
Examples
Examples of Mostrar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
El guía nos mostró los lugares más importantes de la ciudad. (The guide showed us the most important places in the city.)
Mostré mis fotos del viaje a toda la familia. (I showed my travel photos to the whole family.)
¿Le mostraste el informe al jefe? (Did you show the report to the boss?)
Los científicos mostraron sus descubrimientos en la conferencia. (The scientists showed their discoveries at the conference.)
Mostramos nuestro proyecto en la feria de ciencias. (We showed our project at the science fair.)
El artista mostró su nueva colección en la galería. (The artist showed their new collection at the gallery.)
¿Por qué no me mostraste esto antes? (Why didn’t you show me this before?)
Ella mostró gran valentía durante la crisis. (She showed great courage during the crisis.)
Los estudiantes mostraron mucho interés en el tema. (The students showed a lot of interest in the topic.)
Mostré mi identificación en la entrada. (I showed my ID at the entrance.)
El equipo mostró su mejor juego esa noche. (The team showed their best game that night.)
Mostramos los resultados en la reunión mensual. (We showed the results at the monthly meeting.)
El detective les mostró las evidencias. (The detective showed them the evidence.)
¿Les mostraste el camino a los turistas? (Did you show the tourists the way?)
La empresa mostró un crecimiento significativo. (The company showed significant growth.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Mostrar (to show) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo mostré | I showed |
| Tú mostraste | You showed |
| Él / Ella / Usted mostró | He / She / You (formal) showed |
| Nosotros / Nosotras mostramos | We showed |
| Vosotros / Vosotras mostrasteis | You all showed |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes mostraron | They / You all (formal) showed |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.