mostreresti

Mostreresti is the second-person singular form of mostrare in the Italian conditional present. It expresses a hypothetical action or a polite or tentative question, corresponding to "you would show" in English. It is one of the six forms of the conditional present for the verb mostrare (io mostrerei, tu mostreresti, lui mostrerebbe, noi mostreremmo, voi mostrereste, loro mostrerebbero).

Morphology and usage

Mostrare is a regular -are verb, and its conditional presente endings are -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero. Therefore, the complete paradigm includes mostrerei, mostreresti, mostrerebbe, mostreremmo, mostrereste, mostrerebbero. The form mostreresti appears in sentences that imagine what someone would do under a given condition, or in polite requests and suggestions. It is commonly found after a hypothetical if-clause introduced by se (e.g., Se avessi tempo, mostreresti come si usa questo strumento?).

Examples

- Se avessi tempo, mostreresti come si usa questo strumento?

- Mostreresti una foto ai tuoi genitori?

Etymology

Mostrare derives from Latin monstrare, meaning to point out or to show. The Italian verb retains a close semantic link to the original sense of presenting or indicating something to another person.

See also

Mostrare; condizionale presente; Italian verb conjugation.