parecer Present Conjugation
parecer — to seem
Parecer is irregular only in the 'yo' form (parezco); all other forms are regular.
parecer Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to express opinions (Me parece que...), describe appearances, or state how things look right now.
Notes on parecer in the Present
The 'yo' form adds a 'z' before the 'c' (parezco). This is a common pattern for verbs ending in -ecer.
Example Sentences
Me parezco mucho a mi madre.
I look a lot like my mother.
yo
Ese coche parece muy caro.
That car looks very expensive.
él/ella/usted
¿Qué te parece esta idea?
What do you think of (how does it seem to you) this idea?
él/ella/usted
Ustedes parecen estar perdidos.
You all seem to be lost.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'yo pareco'.
Correct: The correct form is 'yo parezco'.
Why: Verbs ending in -cer preceded by a vowel usually require the 'zc' spelling in the first person present.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: parecí
Parecer is regular in the preterite: parecí, pareciste, pareció, parecimos, parecisteis, parecieron.
Imperfect
yo: parecía
Parecer is regular in the imperfect: parecía, parecías, parecía, parecíamos, parecíais, parecían.
Future
yo: pareceré
The future tense of parecer is regular: pareceré, parecerás, parecerá, pareceremos, pareceréis, parecerán.
Conditional
yo: parecería
The conditional of parecer is regular: parecería, parecerías, parecería, pareceríamos, pareceríais, parecerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: parezca
The present subjunctive uses the 'parezc-' stem: parezca, parezcas, parezca, parezcamos, parezcáis, parezcan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: pareciera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'parecie-' stem: pareciera, parecieras, pareciera, pareciéramos, parecierais, parecieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: parece
The imperative for parecer is rarely used, but follows standard rules: parece, parezca, parezcamos, pareced, parezcan.
Negative Imperative
yo: no parezcas
The negative imperative always uses the 'zc' stem: no parezcas, no parezca, no parezcamos, no parezcáis, no parezcan.