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How to Say "seemed" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “seemed” is “parecía” — use 'parecía' when describing a general outward appearance or an impression of someone or something's state, often visual or emotional..

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parecía

VerbA2General
Use 'parecía' when describing a general outward appearance or an impression of someone or something's state, often visual or emotional.

Examples

El niño parecía cansado después de jugar todo el día.

The boy seemed tired after playing all day.

estaba

/es-TAH-bah//esˈtaβa/

VerbA2General
Use 'estaba' (imperfect tense of 'estar') to describe a temporary state or feeling that someone 'seemed' to be in, focusing on their condition or emotion.
A person looking tired and yawning, to show a temporary feeling or state in the past.

Examples

Ella estaba muy feliz con la noticia.

She was very happy with the news.

Yo estaba enfermo la semana pasada.

I was sick last week.

La puerta estaba abierta.

The door was open.

Temporary vs. Permanent ('Estar' vs. 'Ser')

Estar is for temporary states (how you feel, where you are). For more permanent traits (who you are, what you're like), you'll use a different verb, ser.

Using 'fue' instead of 'estaba' for feelings

Mistake: “Él fue triste.”

Correction: Él estaba triste. Use `estaba` for feelings and moods. 'Fue' comes from the verb `ser` and is used for more permanent traits or to describe an event.

sonaba

soh-NAH-bah/soˈnaβa/

VerbB1General
Use 'sonaba' when an accent, sound, or description gives you a specific impression or reminds you of something familiar, often in an ongoing or habitual sense.
A simple character listening intently with a look of sudden recognition. Stylized sound waves enter their ear and visually connect to a small, simple, familiar object (like a hat) floating near their head, symbolizing recognition and memory.

Examples

Su acento me sonaba a español de Argentina.

His accent sounded like Argentine Spanish to me.

La excusa que me dio sonaba poco creíble.

The excuse he gave me sounded unbelievable.

Ese apellido me sonaba, pero no sabía por qué.

That last name sounded familiar to me, but I didn't know why.

Using 'Me' or 'Te'

When 'sonar' means 'to sound familiar,' it usually takes an indirect object pronoun (like 'me,' 'te,' 'le') to show who is doing the recognizing. Example: 'Me sonaba' (It sounded familiar to me).

Confusing 'Sonaba' and 'Sonó'

Mistake: “The learner says: 'Esa historia sonó extraña.'”

Correction: Say: 'Esa historia sonaba extraña.' When describing an impression or quality that lasted for a period, the imperfect ('sonaba') is usually better than the preterite ('sonó'), which implies the impression was only momentary.

sonó

VerbB1General
Use 'sonó' when a specific proposal, idea, or statement gave a particular impression at a specific moment, often implying a reaction to something heard.

Examples

Su propuesta sonó muy interesante, pero no dio detalles.

His proposal sounded very interesting, but he didn't give details.

Parecía vs. Sonaba/Sonó

Learners often confuse 'parecía' (seemed, appeared) with 'sonaba'/'sonó' (sounded). Remember that 'parecía' refers to the visual or emotional appearance of a person or thing, while 'sonaba'/'sonó' is used when something gives an impression based on sound or abstract qualities.

Related Translations

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