parecía
“parecía” means “seemed” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
seemed, looked
Also: appeared, felt
📝 In Action
El niño parecía cansado después de jugar todo el día.
A2The boy seemed tired after playing all day.
La casa parecía más grande por dentro.
A2The house seemed bigger on the inside.
Todo parecía estar en orden cuando llegamos.
B1Everything appeared to be in order when we arrived.
it seemed (to someone)
Also: I/you/he/she thought
📝 In Action
Me parecía que la película era un poco lenta.
B1It seemed to me that the movie was a bit slow. (or: I thought the movie was a bit slow.)
¿No te parecía una mala idea en ese momento?
B1Didn't it seem like a bad idea to you at that moment?
Al principio, nos parecía que el proyecto iba a ser muy fácil.
B2At first, we thought the project was going to be very easy.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: parecía
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence best translates to 'I thought the plan was risky'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb 'parēscere', which is a form of 'parēre', meaning 'to appear' or 'to be visible'. It's related to the English word 'appear'.
First recorded: 12th century
Cognates (Related words)
💡 Master Spanish
Take your Spanish to the next level. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories tailored to your level with the Inklingo app!
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'parecía' and 'se veía'?
They are very similar! 'Parecía' is about a general impression or feeling ('he seemed sad'). 'Se veía' is more focused on visual appearance ('he looked sad'). Often, you can use them interchangeably, but 'se veía' always implies you could see it with your eyes.
Can 'parecía' be used for 'I' and 'he/she'?
Yes, and that can be tricky! 'Yo parecía cansado' means 'I seemed tired.' 'Él parecía cansado' means 'He seemed tired.' The form is the same. You know who is being talked about from the context or by including the person's name or pronoun ('yo', 'él', 'ella', 'usted').