parecer means: to seem, to look like
Click to see all conjugation charts of parecer in every tense

In this conjugation lesson we will learn how to conjugate the verb parecer in the Imperfecto tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to create and translate forms of each grammatical person.

This lesson is specifically about the parecer verb conjugation. For an overview of Simple Tenses conjugation see our Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

We also have a Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Imperfecto. It’s embedded below, but using the above link you will get more detailed information on conjugation in this tense and explanation of exceptions and special cases.

How to translate Imperfecto to English

Notice that the English phrases provided below next to each conjugation are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:

• In Spanish conjugation, there is the form usted in the third person singular. But this person does not translate to the English third person singular. It translates to the so called formal you and uses the inflected form which is most often represented as he/she/it in English conjugation charts.
• Similar situation happens in the third person plural, where ustedes translates to the English plural formal you but uses the form which corresponds to the they form in English.
• Tenses are used differently in Spanish and English, so the actual translation should always take into account the context and focus on translating the meaning, not just words.
• In both languages each verb may have multiple meanings and not every meaning translates directly to the other language. Here also, the context and focusing on the particular meaning helps to create the most accurate translation.

Note the timeline

The ability to properly locate the intended position on the timeline is an important skill for the right choice of tenses. So note the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while speaking, listening, writing and reading. After a bit practice you’ll be able to select the right tense to use much easier.

Step by step instructions

Imperfecto belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of the conjugated forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in Spanish language, where each inflected form consists of two words.The verb parecer has an almost entirely regular conjugation in the Imperfecto tense of the Indicativo mood. An exception is the first person singular, which has an irregular form. It means the other persons follow the general rules for this conjugation group (-er) without further exceptions. The basis for the conjugation in this tense is the stem of the verb, so we have to begin by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s very easy to do. Just remove two letters from the end of the infinitive and you have the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem. So in case of our verb:

• the stem is: parec-
• and the ending is: -er

Use the stem parec- in each person as the basis for the conjugations, the common prefix that each of the forms begins with. Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. See the image on the side showing all the six endings. Note both the shapes and colors of the letters. They are arranged to help you find patterns and make it easier to remember these endings.

Also notice that in verb groups -er and -ir all the endings in both Pretéterito Imperfecto and Condicional tenses are identical. Good tip to remember. The only difference is that the Condicional uses the entire infinitive as the stem.Each grammatical person has a specific ending in each of the three conjugation groups -ar, -er, -ir. Add the regular ending -ía for the first person singular to create parecía:

• yo parecía – I seemed

And similarly add the regular ending -ías for the second person singular to create parecías:

• tú parecías – you seemed

And add the regular ending -ía for the third person singular to create parecía:

• él parecía – he seemed
• ella parecía – she seemed
• usted parecía – (formal) you seemed

Again add the regular ending -íamos for the first person plural to create parecíamos:

• nosotros parecíamos – we seemed
• nosotras parecíamos – (feminine) we seemed

And add the regular ending -íais for the second person plural to create parecíais:

• vosotros parecíais – (plural) you seemed
• vosotras parecíais – (feminine, plural) you seemed

And add the regular ending -ían for the third person plural to create parecían:

• ellos parecían – they seemed
• ellas parecían – (feminine) they seemed
• ustedes parecían – (formal, plural) you seemed

¡Ya está! The conjugation is now complete. The final result looks as follows:

yo	parecía	I seemed
tú	parecías	you seemed
él/ella/usted	parecía	he/she/it seemed
nosotros/nosotras	parecíamos	we seemed
vosotros/vosotras	parecíais	you seemed
ellos/ellas/ustedes	parecían	they seemed

Click to see all conjugation charts of parecer in every tense
But do not end your session yet – it’s important to repeat and practice the material in order to retain it. Check below for example phrases and suggestions.

Example sentences

Next Steps to Perfection To practice this conjugation and test your skills check this Conjugation Exercise or the Memory Game To see other conjugation lessons for this verb choose another tense: PresentePretéritoCondicionalFuturoPretérito Perfecto CompuestoPretérito PluscuamperfectoFuturo PerfectoCondicional PerfectoPretérito Perfecto Compuesto (subjuntivo)Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto A (subjuntivo)Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto B (subjuntivo)Futuro Perfecto (subjuntivo)  For exercises and examples related to parecer visit our Exercise section To see conjugation charts in all tenses for parecer visit the Conjugator To explore other learning materials visit the Study section

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