Parecer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

parecer — to seem — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to seem, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the stem-final c becomes ç before a and o, so the eu form is pareço. Its present is pareço, pareces, parece, and its pretérito perfeito is pareci, pareceste, pareceu. It is often used in the phrase parece que, meaning it seems that. On this page you will find parecer in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the parecer conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the parecer pretérito perfeito tense page.

Example sentences with parecer

In the present tense

  • “Eu pareço feliz todos os dias.” — “I seem happy”
  • “Tu pareces feliz todos os dias.” — “You seem happy”
  • “Ele parece feliz todos os dias.” — “He seems happy”
  • “Nós parecemos feliz todos os dias.” — “We seem happy”
  • “Vós pareceis feliz todos os dias.” — “You seem happy”
  • “Eles parecem feliz todos os dias.” — “They seem happy”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu pareci feliz ontem.” — “I seemed happy”
  • “Tu pareceste feliz ontem.” — “You seemed happy”
  • “Ele pareceu feliz ontem.” — “He seemed happy”
  • “Nós parecemos feliz ontem.” — “We seemed happy”
  • “Vós parecestes feliz ontem.” — “You seemed happy”
  • “Eles pareceram feliz ontem.” — “They seemed happy”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu parecia feliz antigamente.” — “I used to seem happy”
  • “Tu parecerás feliz amanhã.” — “You will seem happy”
  • “Ele pareceria feliz um dia.” — “He would seem happy”
  • “É importante que nós pareçamos feliz.” — “It is important that we seem happy”
  • “Parece feliz!” — “Seem happy!”

How parecer is used

The first thing to know about parecer is its core meaning: to seem. It means to seem, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the stem-final c becomes ç before a and o, so the eu form is pareço. Its present is pareço, pareces, parece, and its pretérito perfeito is pareci, pareceste, pareceu. It is often used in the phrase parece que, meaning it seems that. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company parecer keeps. The present eu form is pareço, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho parecido, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what parecer does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need pareço, never parecer. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho parecido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle parecido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Parecer in context

Eu pareço feliz todos os dias. Tu pareces feliz todos os dias. Ele parece feliz todos os dias. Nós parecemos feliz todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of parecer is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — pareço, pareces, parece, parecemos — while the meaning stays the same: to seem. Eu pareci feliz ontem. Tu pareceste feliz ontem. Ele pareceu feliz ontem. Nós parecemos feliz ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of parecer appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to seem — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu parecer feliz.”

✓ Right: “Eu pareço feliz todos os dias.”

The infinitive parecer never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form pareço.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu pareces feliz.”

✓ Right: “Eu pareço feliz todos os dias.”

pareces is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is pareço — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu pareço feliz ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu pareci feliz ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito pareci here, not the present pareço.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou parecido feliz.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho parecido feliz esta semana.”

parecer takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho parecido — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on parecer across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of parecer in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) pareço
    • B) pareces
    • C) parece
    • D) parecemos

  2. What is the eu form of parecer in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens parecido
    • B) tem parecido
    • C) tenho parecido
    • D) temos parecido

  3. What is the ele/ela form of parecer in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) parecias
    • B) parecíamos
    • C) parecíeis
    • D) parecia

  4. What is the nós form of parecer in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) pareceremos
    • B) parecerei
    • C) parecerás
    • D) parecerá

  5. What is the tu form of parecer in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) pareceria
    • B) parecerias
    • C) pareceríamos
    • D) pareceríeis

  6. What is the eu form of parecer in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) pareceras
    • B) parecéramos
    • C) parecera
    • D) parecéreis

  7. What is the nós form of parecer in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) pareça
    • B) pareças
    • C) pareçais
    • D) pareçamos

  8. What is the gerund of parecer?

    • A) parecendo
    • B) parecido
    • C) parecer
    • D) pareço

  9. What is the past participle of parecer?

    • A) parecendo
    • B) parecido
    • C) parecer
    • D) pareço

  10. What does parecer mean in English?

  • A) to ask for
  • B) to receive
  • C) to seem
  • D) to pay

Answer key

  1. B) pareces — the correct form is pareces. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho parecido — the correct form is tenho parecido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) parecia — the correct form is parecia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) pareceremos — the correct form is pareceremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) parecerias — the correct form is parecerias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) parecera — the correct form is parecera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) pareçamos — the correct form is pareçamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) parecendo — the correct form is parecendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) parecido — the correct form is parecido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to seem — the correct form is to seem. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does parecer mean in English?

parecer means “to seem”. You use it whenever you talk about to seem in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is parecer regular or irregular?

parecer is regular. parecer is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of parecer?

The gerund is parecendo and the past participle is parecido. The perfect tenses use ter + parecido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of parecer?

On the parecer conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The parecer pretérito perfeito tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for parecer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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