Today we learn together how to use properly the Spanish verb parecer. If you want to know all about this verb, take a look at the blog of El Rincón del Tándem Spanish school.
Enjoy your reading!
Like other Spanish verbs, parecer is one of the verbs that can be used in several way while forming sentences. Furthermore, The Spanish verb parecer is one of the most frequently used by Spanish students and must be known very well in order to express opinions, feeling and observation in Spanish.
So, let’s learn all its usages to master it!
To begin with, the verb parecer generally means “to seem or to look like”. In Spanish this verb is commonly used to describe a situation, something or someone, to express opinions or indicate similarity between two or more persons.
Specifically, we can use the Spanish verb parecer in all these cases:
1. To refer to the appearance of something or someone. That is, to express how something or someone looks or seems to us.
Examples:
Ana perece muy contenta = Ana looks very happy
En esta foto Isabel parece más alta de lo que es = In this picture Isabel looks taller tan she is
El ensayo parecía bien redactado, pero era difícil de leer = The essay seemed well-written but it was hard to read
2. To express the perception that we have of a situation, a thing or a person.
In this case, we use parecer as an impersonal verb, forming the sentence as follows:
PARECE + QUE + (subject) + verb in the indicative mood
NO PARECE + QUE + (subject) + verb in the subjunctive mood
Examples:
Parece que vamos a tener un buen verano = It looks like the summer will be good
No parece que Julia tenga ganas de ir al cine = Julia doesn’t seem like she feels like going to the cinema
3. To state our opinion or ask somebody’s else opinion about something.
When we use the Spanish verb parecer to say what we “think about/of” something, the typical grammatical structure to be used is the same that we would use with Spanish verbs like gustar, encantar, etc.
Examples:
¿Qué te parece el artículo que has leído? = What do you think about the article that you have read?
Este libro me parece una obra maestra = I think this book is a masterpiece
¿Que os ha parecido el restaurante donde cenamos anoche? = What do you think of the restaurant that we had dinner at yesterday evening?
4. To express that we are fine or not with something. In this case we use the expression PARECER BIEN /MAL. We can also use these expressions to mean that something seems wrong or right to us.
Examples:
Me parece bien quedar a las siete de la tarde= I am fine with meeting at 7.00 p.m.
Me parece mal irse sin saludar a nadie = Leaving without saying goodbye seems wrong to me
5. To state that two or more persons or things look like each other. In this case, we use parecer as a reflexive verb (parecerse).
Examples:
Tu sobrina se parece a su padre = Your niece looks like her father
Cuando me enfado me parezco a mi madre = When I get angry, I resemble my mother
Maria y Nadia no se parecen en nada = Maria y Nadia aren’t at all alike
LOOK OUT!
Parecer is also a noun and means “opinion”, “decision” or “idea”. Let’s see some examples in which we can use it as a noun.
Le pregunté a Lucas su parecer sobre la venta de la casa = I asked Lucas his opinión about the house sale
He cambiado de parecer, no quiero salir esta noche = I changed my mind; I don’t want to go out tonight
Also, we can find this word in expression “a mi parecer”. The English equivalent would be “The way I see it” or “in my opinion”.
A mi parecer, tendríamos que coger vacaciones en septiembre = The way I see it, we should go on holidays in September
We hope our explanation about the Spanish verb parecer has been helpful to you! We invite you to practice this verb a lot during Spanish lessons and in everyday life.
Finally, we remind you that our Spanish school waits for you here in Valencia and is happy to help you study Spanish while having fun!
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