Parecer Conjugation: The Complete Guide to “To Seem” in Spanish
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PARECER (to seem, to appear, to look like) is one of the most useful verbs in Spanish for expressing opinions, describing appearances, and making comparisons. It’s a -cer spelling-change verb: the yo form of the present, parezco, inserts a zc to preserve the soft c sound. Every other form in every tense is fully regular.
This guide covers everything you need: the full conjugation in the present, preterite, and imperfect tenses; the main uses of the verb; the parecerse reflexive that means “to resemble”; the opinion constructions that depend on it; and the mistakes to avoid. By the end, you’ll know not just how to conjugate parecer, but how to use it naturally.
Key Takeaways
- PARECER means “to seem,” “to appear,” and “to look like.”
- It’s a -cer spelling-change verb: the yo form of the present is parezco (the c becomes zc).
- Present: parezco, pareces, parece, parecemos, parecéis, parecen.
- Preterite: parecí, pareciste, pareció, parecimos, parecisteis, parecieron.
- Imperfect: parecía, parecías, parecía, parecíamos, parecíais, parecían.
- Parecerse a means “to resemble” or “to look like.” Parecer + adjective means “to seem [adjective].”
- Common idioms: me parece que (it seems to me that), ¿qué te parece? (what do you think?), al parecer (apparently).
Conjugation of PARECER in the Present Tense
Parecer is irregular only in the yo form: parezco. The c of the stem becomes zc to keep the soft sound before o. All other forms follow a regular -er pattern.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | parezco | I seem |
| Tú | pareces | You seem (informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | parece | He / She seems, You seem (formal) |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | parecemos | We seem |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | parecéis | You all seem (Spain, informal) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | parecen | They seem, You all seem (formal) |
Example Sentences
- Yo parezco más joven de lo que soy. (I look younger than I am.)
- Tú pareces cansado hoy. (You seem tired today.)
- Ella parece feliz con la noticia. (She seems happy with the news.)
- Nosotros parecemos hermanos. (We look like brothers.)
A Note on Vosotros
Vosotros and vosotras are used primarily in Spain. In Latin America, ustedes covers both formal and informal plural address, and vosotros is essentially absent from everyday speech. If you’re learning Spanish for Latin America, you’ll recognize parecéis in writing but won’t need to produce it. If you’re studying for a Spain-based exam or spending time in Spain, learn it alongside the other forms.
Conjugation of PARECER in the Preterite
The preterite of parecer is fully regular. Note the accent marks on parecí and pareció.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | parecí | I seemed |
| Tú | pareciste | You seemed (informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | pareció | He / She seemed, You seemed (formal) |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | parecimos | We seemed |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | parecisteis | You all seemed (Spain, informal) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | parecieron | They seemed |
Example Sentences
- Parecí tonto delante de todos. (I seemed foolish in front of everyone.)
- ¿Pareciste entender la explicación? (Did you seem to understand the explanation?)
- Él pareció sorprendido por la noticia. (He seemed surprised by the news.)
- Parecimos expertos en el tema. (We seemed like experts on the subject.)
Conjugation of PARECER in the Imperfect
The imperfect of parecer is fully regular: stem parec- plus the standard -er imperfect endings. Note the accent marks on parecía, parecías, and parecíamos.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | parecía | I seemed / I used to seem |
| Tú | parecías | You seemed / You used to seem (informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | parecía | He / She seemed, You seemed (formal) |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | parecíamos | We seemed / We used to seem |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | parecíais | You all seemed (Spain, informal) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | parecían | They seemed |
Example Sentences
- Parecía más alto en las fotos. (I used to look taller in photos.)
- ¿Parecías más delgado entonces? (Did you used to look thinner back then?)
- Mi abuelo parecía fuerte y saludable. (My grandfather used to seem strong and healthy.)
- Parecíamos gemelos cuando éramos niños. (We used to look like twins when we were kids.)
Preterite vs Imperfect with PARECER
Use the preterite for a single completed impression: Pareció sorprendido (He seemed surprised — at that moment). Use the imperfect for an ongoing or habitual past impression: Parecía fuerte (He used to seem strong — over a period). Same rule as any action verb.
The Main Uses of PARECER
1. Expressing Opinions — “Me parece que…”
The most common use. Me parece que means “it seems to me that” or “I think that.” The indirect object pronoun indicates whose opinion it is.
- Me parece que es una buena idea. (It seems to me that it’s a good idea.)
- ¿Qué te parece? (What do you think?)
- Nos parece bien la propuesta. (The proposal seems good to us.)
- Le pareció raro que no llamara. (It seemed strange to him that she didn’t call.)
Note on the structure: The subject of parecer in these expressions is the thing being judged, not the person. Me parece buena la idea — “the idea” is the subject, “me” is the indirect object. The verb agrees with the thing, not the person. Me parecen buenas las ideas (The ideas seem good to me) — plural subject, plural verb.
2. Describing Appearances
Parecer + adjective means “to seem [adjective]” or “to look [adjective].”
- Pareces cansado. (You seem tired.)
- Parece feliz. (She seems happy.)
- Parecen ricos. (They seem rich.)
Note on parecer vs. estar: Pareces cansado (You seem tired — an impression, possibly false) vs. Estás cansado (You are tired — a statement of fact). Parecer is always about how something appears, not how it actually is.
3. Resembling — Parecerse a
The reflexive parecerse a means “to resemble” or “to look like” someone or something.
- Me parezco a mi madre. (I look like my mother.)
- ¿Te pareces a tu hermano? (Do you look like your brother?)
- Se parecen mucho. (They look a lot alike.)
Note on parecer vs. parecerse: Parecer = “to seem” (an impression). Parecerse a = “to resemble” (physical or characteristic similarity). Pareces cansado (You seem tired) vs. Te pareces a tu padre (You look like your father).
4. Apparent Statements — “Parece que…”
Parece que means “it seems that” or “it appears that.” Unlike me parece que, it doesn’t specify whose impression — it’s general.
- Parece que va a llover. (It looks like it’s going to rain.)
- Parece que no vienen. (It seems they’re not coming.)
- Parecía que todo iba bien. (It seemed like everything was going well.)
Parece ser que is a variation, slightly more formal. Al parecer means “apparently.”
5. Common Idioms with PARECER
- me parece que — it seems to me that
- Me parece que tenemos un problema. (It seems to me that we have a problem.)
- ¿qué te parece? — what do you think?
- ¿Qué te parece la idea? (What do you think of the idea?)
- al parecer — apparently
- Al parecer, no va a venir. (Apparently, he’s not coming.)
- según parece — according to appearances
- Según parece, ya lo sabían. (According to appearances, they already knew.)
- parecer mentira — to seem unbelievable
- Parece mentira que ya sea diciembre. (It’s hard to believe it’s already December.)
- parecerse como dos gotas de agua — to be as alike as two peas in a pod
- Los gemelos se parecen como dos gotas de agua. (The twins are as alike as two peas in a pod.)
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting the yo form is parezco. Not pareco. The c becomes zc before o — the same pattern as conocer (conozco) and other -cer verbs.
- Confusing parecer and parecerse. Parecer = “to seem” (an impression). Parecerse a = “to resemble” (similarity). Pareces cansado vs. Te pareces a tu padre.
- Dropping the personal a with parecerse. Me parezco a mi madre — the a is required before a person.
- Mixing up the subject of me parece que. The verb agrees with the thing being judged, not the person. Me parece buena la idea (singular thing), Me parecen buenas las ideas (plural thing).
- Dropping the accent in the preterite. Parecí, pareció — the accent is required.
- Using parecer for certainty. Parecer is always about appearance or impression, not fact. Parece enfermo (He seems sick — maybe he is, maybe not) vs. Está enfermo (He is sick — factual).
Putting It All Together
Imagine telling someone about your weekend. El sábado fui a una fiesta con Marta. Me pareció raro que no estuviera su hermano. Le pregunté y me dijo: «Parece que está enfermo, pero no estoy segura.» Al parecer, ya llevaba unos días así. La fiesta estuvo bien. Marta parecía contenta, aunque parecía cansada también. Le dije: «Pareces cansada, ¿estás bien?» Me dijo que sí, que solo necesitaba dormir. Cuando llegué a casa, me pareció mentira que ya fuera tan tarde. Mi madre me dijo: «Te pareces a tu padre: nunca miras la hora.» Every underlined form is parecer — opinions, appearances, apparent statements, and the reflexive — all woven together.
Quick Reference Chart
| Tense | Yo | Tú | Él / Ella / Ud. | Nosotros | Vosotros | Ellos / Uds. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | parezco | pareces | parece | parecemos | parecéis | parecen |
| Preterite | parecí | pareciste | pareció | parecimos | parecisteis | parecieron |
| Imperfect | parecía | parecías | parecía | parecíamos | parecíais | parecían |
Practice Exercise
Fill in the blank with the correct form of parecer.
- Yo ____ más joven de lo que soy. (answer: parezco)
- ¿Tú ____ cansado hoy? (answer: pareces)
- Me ____ una buena idea. (answer: parece)
- Cuando era niño, ____ más alto en las fotos. (answer: parecía)
- Nosotros ____ hermanos. (answer: parecemos)
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📚 PARECER: Frequently Asked Questions
A: Parecer is irregular only in the yo form. The forms are: parezco, pareces, parece, parecemos, parecéis, parecen. The yo form is parezco — the c of the stem becomes zc to preserve the soft sound before o. All other forms follow a regular -er pattern.
A: Yes. The preterite of parecer is regular: parecí, pareciste, pareció, parecimos, parecisteis, parecieron. Note the accent marks on parecí and pareció.
A: Yes, fully regular. The imperfect of parecer is: parecía, parecías, parecía, parecíamos, parecíais, parecían. Take the stem parec- and add the standard -er imperfect endings. Note the accent marks on parecía, parecías, and parecíamos.
A: Parecer means “to seem” — an impression: Pareces cansado (You seem tired). Parecerse a means “to resemble” — similarity: Te pareces a tu padre (You look like your father). The reflexive form is used for physical or characteristic similarity, and it requires the personal a before a person.
A: Me parece que means “it seems to me that” or “I think that”: Me parece que tenemos un problema (It seems to me that we have a problem). The indirect object pronoun indicates whose opinion it is — me (to me), te (to you), le (to him/her). Note that the verb agrees with the thing being judged, not the person: me parece buena la idea (singular), me parecen buenas las ideas (plural).
A: Parece que means “it seems that” — a general impression, no specific person’s opinion: Parece que va a llover (It looks like it’s going to rain). Me parece que means “it seems to me that” — the impression of a specific person: Me parece que va a llover (It seems to me that it’s going to rain). Both are correct; the difference is whose perspective is stated.
A: Al parecer means “apparently” or “from what it seems”: Al parecer, no va a venir (Apparently, he’s not coming). It’s a fixed expression used to introduce information that seems true but isn’t confirmed. Según parece means essentially the same thing.
A: It’s a spelling change, not a pronunciation change. In Spanish, c before e or i makes a soft sound, and c before a, o, or u makes a hard sound. To keep the soft sound before o, the spelling changes to zc: parezco. The same pattern applies to conocer (conozco), conducir (conduzco), and other -cer and -cir verbs.
A: Parece mentira means “it seems unbelievable” or “it’s hard to believe”: Parece mentira que ya sea diciembre (It’s hard to believe it’s already December). It’s a common expression used to mark surprise or disbelief, usually about something true but surprising.
A: The six most common mistakes are:
- Forgetting the yo form is parezco — producing pareco instead.
- Confusing parecer and parecerse — one means “to seem,” the other “to resemble.”
- Dropping the personal a with parecerse — Me parezco a mi madre, not Me parezco mi madre.
- Getting the subject wrong in me parece que — the verb agrees with the thing being judged, not the person.
- Using parecer for certainty — parecer is about appearance, not fact.
- Dropping the accent in the preterite — parecí, not pareci; pareció, not parecio.
