Parecer Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

“Parecer” is an incredibly useful Spanish verb to learn. It means “to seem” or “to appear”, but it can also be used to ask about someone’s opinion. 

When this is the case, it has the same structure as the verb ”gustar”, requiring an indirect pronoun: ”¿Qué te parece?” (What do you think?) 

As an essential component of everyday conversation, understanding and learning every “parecer” conjugation in each tense is key to expressing opinions, describing situations, and more.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, a site for Spanish learners to learn all about Spanish verb conjugation. 

In this guide I’ll teach you all “parecer” conjugations across various tenses, including simple and compound forms, and how to conjugate “parecer” with the auxiliary verb “haber”.

From the present indicative to the subjunctive and imperative moods, read on to learn just how similar “parecer” is to other verbs ending in ”-er” and how to use “parecer” in different contexts.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	parezco
you	tú	pareces
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	parece
we	nosotros,nosotras	parecemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	parecéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	parecen

When we use the Present Indicative Tense

The indicative present tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that occur regularly.

In order to conjugate “parecer” in the present tense, you need to learn the irregular ending in the first person singular. 

You will see each conjugated form in the conjugation chart, with a list of sentences providing context below.

Examples of the verb “parecer” in the Present Indicative Tense

• Yo parezco confiado. (I seem confident.)
• Tú pareces preocupado. (You seem worried.)
• Él parece feliz. (He seems happy.)
• Nosotros parecemos ocupados. (We seem busy.)
• Vosotros parecéis cansados. (You all seem tired.)
• Ellos parecen relajados. (They seem relaxed.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	parecí
you	tú	pareciste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	pareció
we	nosotros, nosotras	parecimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	parecisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	parecieron

When we use the Preterite Tense

If you’ve been studying Spanish for a year or more, you probably know by now that the preterite tense in Spanish is used to describe actions completed in the past.

The translation into English is “seemed” or “appeared”. 

In order to form the preterite tense, you conjugate “parecer” according to the subject and add the appropriate preterite endings.

I have provided examples below which demonstrate how each preterite tense “parecer” conjugation follows regular -ER verb rules.

Examples of the verb “parecer” in the Preterite Tense

• Yo parecí sorprendido. (I seemed surprised.)
• Tú pareciste decepcionado. (You seemed disappointed.)
• Él pareció emocionado. (He seemed excited.)
• Nosotros parecimos agotados. (We seemed exhausted.)
• Vosotros parecisteis asombrados. (You all seemed amazed.)
• Ellos parecieron tranquilos. (They seemed calm.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	parecía
you	tú	parecías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	parecía
we	nosotros, nosotras	parecíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	parecíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	parecían

When we use the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense in Spanish describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past.

Be careful not to confuse it with the preterite tense which, as we’ve covered, is used for completed actions, not ongoing or habitual actions.  

To form the imperfect tense, conjugate the verb “parecer” to its imperfect stem and add the corresponding endings.

I have provided examples below. 

Examples of the verb “parecer” in the Imperfect Tense

• Yo parecía confundido. (I seemed confused/I used to seem confused)
• Tú parecías contento. (You seemed content/You used to seem content)
• Él parecía tranquilo. (He seemed calm/He used to seem calm)
• Nosotros parecíamos ocupados. (We seemed busy/We used to seem busy)
• Vosotros parecíais cansados. (You all seemed tired/You all used to seem tired.)
• Ellos parecían relajados. (They seemed relaxed/They used to seem relaxed.)

Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	pareceré
you	tú	parecerás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	parecerá
we	nosotros,nosotras	pareceremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	pareceréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	parecerán

When we use the Future Tense

When using the future tense in Spanish, we express actions that will occur in the future. 

The Spanish future tense translation into English is “will”.

So, each “parecer” conjugation in the future tense indicates what will seem or appear at a later time.

The verb chart will show you the conjugations, and the example sentences below will show you how to use these in context. 

Examples of the verb “parecer” in the Future Tense

• Yo pareceré seguro. (I will seem confident.)
• Tú parecerás interesado. (You will seem interested.)
• Él parecerá feliz. (He will seem happy.)
• Nosotros pareceremos ocupados. (We will seem busy.)
• Vosotros pareceréis cansados. (You all will seem tired.)
• Ellos parecerán relajados. (They will seem relaxed.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	parecería
you	tú	parecerías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	parecería
we	nosotros,nosotras	pareceríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	pareceríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	parecerían

When we use the Conditional Tense

Conditional tense conjugations in Spanish express actions that would happen under certain conditions. 

This differs from the future tense, which we’ve just covered. Remember, the literal translation in English with any conditional tense conjugation is “would”.

In order to form the Spanish conditional tense, take the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “parecer” and add the conditional endings.

Examples of the verb “parecer” in the Conditional Tense

• Yo parecería interesado. (I would seem interested.)
• Tú parecerías cansado. (You would seem tired.)
• Él parecería feliz. (He would seem happy.)
• Nosotros pareceríamos ocupados. (We would seem busy.)
• Vosotros pareceríais tranquilos. (You all would seem calm.)
• Ellos parecerían sorprendidos. (They would seem surprised.)

Perfect Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	he	parecido
you	tú	has	parecido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	parecido
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	parecido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	parecido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	parecido

When We Use The Perfect Tense

We use the Spanish perfect tense to express actions that have been completed in the past. 

In order to use this tense, you need to conjugate the auxiliary verb “haber” and adopt the past participle of “parecer”, which is “parecido”.

You will find further examples in context below.  

Examples of “Parecer” in the Preterite Perfect 

• Yo he parecido confundido durante toda la clase. (I have seemed confused throughout the entire class.)
• Tú has parecido distante últimamente. (You have seemed distant lately.)
• Él ha parecido feliz desde que llegó la buena noticia. (He has seemed happy since the good news arrived.)
• Nosotros hemos parecido cansados después de la larga jornada de trabajo. (We have seemed tired after the long day of work.)
• Vosotros habéis parecido preocupados por la situación. (You all have seemed worried about the situation.)
• Ellos han parecido sorprendidos por el cambio repentino. (They have seemed surprised by the sudden change.)

Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	había	parecido
you	tú	habías	parecido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	parecido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	parecido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	parecido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	parecido

When We Use The Pluperfect Tense

When using the pluperfect tense in Spanish with the verb “parecer,” we indicate actions that had already occurred before another past action.

The literal translation is “had” e.g. “I had seemed”.

Just like the perfect tense, the pluplerfect tense is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb “haber” and adding the past participle of “parecer,” which is “parecido.”

Examples of ”Parecer” in the Pluperfect

• Había parecido interesado en el proyecto. (He had seemed interested in the project.)
• Ya habías parecido cansado cuando llegué. (You had already seemed tired when I arrived.)
• Habíamos parecido confundidos ante la situación. (We had seemed confused by the situation.)
• Habíais parecido emocionados antes del espectáculo. (You all had seemed excited before the show.)
• Ellos habían parecido tranquilos antes del incidente. (They had seemed calm before the incident.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habré	parecido
you	tú	habrás	parecido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	parecido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	parecido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	parecido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	parecido

When we use the Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense in Spanish expresses actions that will be completed before a specified point in the future.

This tense communicates an event that will have occurred by a future moment. In English, the translation of “parecer” in the future perfect tense is “it will have seemed”. 

Just like the previous examples, in order to form this tense we need to conjugate the future tense of the auxiliary verb “haber”, followed by the past participle of “parecer”, which is  “parecido.”

I have provided example sentences below. 

Examples of the verb “Parecer” in the Future Perfect Tense

• Yo habré parecido sorprendido. (I will have seemed surprised.)
• Tú habrás parecido decepcionado. (You will have seemed disappointed.)
• Él habrá parecido emocionado. (He will have seemed excited.)
• Nosotros habremos parecido agotados. (We will have seemed exhausted.)
• Vosotros habréis parecido asombrados. (You all will have seemed amazed.)
• Ellos habrán parecido tranquilos. (They will have seemed calm.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habría	parecido
you	tú	habrías	parecido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	parecido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	parecido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	parecido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	parecido

When we use the Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense is used to articulate actions that would have happened under specific conditions in the past. 

Again, we need to use the auxiliary verb “haber” and conjugate it into the conditional perfect tense, followed by the past participle of “parecer,” which is “parecido.”

The conditional perfect tense is crucial for expressing hypothetical situations or desires in the past, indicating what would have seemed or appeared under certain circumstances. For instance, “habría parecido” translates to “I would have seemed.”

I have provided further examples below of this tense. 

Examples of the Spanish verb “parecer” in the Conditional Perfect Tense

• Yo habría parecido interesado. (I would have seemed interested.)
• Tú habrías parecido cansado. (You would have seemed tired.)
• Él habría parecido feliz. (He would have seemed happy.)
• Nosotros habríamos parecido ocupados. (We would have seemed busy.)
• Vosotros habríais parecido tranquilos. (You all would have seemed calm.)
• Ellos habrían parecido sorprendidos. (They would have seemed surprised.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	parezca
you	tú	parezcas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	parezca
we	nosotros,nosotras	parezcamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	parezcáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	parezcan

When we use the Present Subjunctive

If you’re trying to learn about the Spanish subjunctive, you’ve probably been studying Spanish for a while. 

While the Spanish subjunctive is not difficult in terms of conjugation, learning when to use it correctly does take time, and plenty of practice. 

We use the present subjunctive tense in Spanish is used to express desires, doubts, or uncertainties. 

In order to form the present subjunctive, switch the present tense endings with the corresponding subjunctive endings.

I have shown example sentences below.

Examples of the verb “Parecer” in the Present Subjunctive

• Es importante que yo parezca interesado en el proyecto. (It’s important that I seem interested in the project.)
• Espero que tú parezcas tranquilo durante la entrevista. (I hope you seem calm during the interview.)
• Mi madre prefiere que él parezca feliz en la fiesta. (My mother prefers that he seems happy at the party.)
• Es necesario que nosotros parezcamos unidos frente a esta situación. (It’s necessary that we seem united in this situation.)
• Recomiendo que vosotros parezcáis serios en la reunión. (I recommend that you all seem serious in the meeting.)
• Es fundamental que ellos parezcan comprometidos con el proyecto. (It’s crucial that they seem committed to the project.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	pareciera, pareciese
you	tú	parecieras, parecieses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	pareciera, pareciese
we	nosotros,nosotras	pareciéramos, pareciésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	parecierais, parecieseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	parecieran, pareciesen

When we use the Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive tense in Spanish is used to express hypothetical situations or desires, 

Combining this tense with the conditional tense is a great way to boost your oral exam marks; it shows great knowledge of the language at a high level. 

The conjugation chart above, and the example sentences below, show you how to use the imperfect subjunctive with the Spanish verb “parecer”.

Examples of the verb “Parecer” in the Imperfect Subjunctive

• Si yo pareciera más interesado, tal vez me habrían ofrecido el trabajo. (If I seemed more interested, perhaps they would have offered me the job.)
• Si tú parecieras más seguro de ti mismo, no tendrías problemas para hablar en público. (If you seemed more confident, you wouldn’t have trouble speaking in public.)
• Mi abuela quería que él pareciera más educado en la cena. (My grandmother wanted him to seem more polite at dinner.)
• Si nosotros pareciéramos más comprometidos, podríamos haber obtenido mejores resultados. (If we seemed more committed, we could have achieved better results.)
• Ojalá que vosotros pareciérais más dispuestos a ayudar. (I wish you all seemed more willing to help.)
• Era importante que ellos parecieran más relajados durante la entrevista. (It was important that they seemed more relaxed during the interview.)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡parece!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡parezca!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡parezcamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡pareced!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡parezcan!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

When using the affirmative imperative in Spanish with the verb “Parecer,” we give commands or make requests in a positive manner to say “seem” or “appear”.

The affirmative imperative for “parecer” is “parece” for the singular and “pareced” for the plural. 

Note that “pareced” is for the Spanish vosotros form used only in Spain, not Latin America. 

Examples of The Spanish Verb “Parecer” in The Affirmative Imperative

• ¡Parece más alto! (Seem taller!)
• ¡Parece amable! (Seem kind!)
• ¡Pareced tranquilos! (Seem calm!)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no parezcas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no parezca!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no parezcamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no parezcáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no parezcan!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

When using the negative imperative in Spanish, we give commands or make requests in a negative manner.

The negative imperative of “parecer” is formed by adding “no” before the verb and adopt the present subjunctive ending.

The imperative form for the informal singular “tú” is “no parezcas” and for the informal plural “vosotros” is “no parezcáis”.

Some sentences below will provide more context for you.

Examples of The Verb “Parecer” in The Negative Imperative

• ¡No parezcas confundido! (Don’t seem confused!)
• ¡No parezcamos ignorantes! (Let’s not seem ignorant!)
• ¡No parezcáis distantes! (Don’t seem distant!)

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