Introduction

Parecer means “to seem”, and this page covers exactly one thing: parecer in the pretérito perfeito. The pretérito perfeito is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about one finished action in the past, especially in conversation. On this page you will find the full pretérito perfeito table for parecer, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito imperfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about parecer in the pretérito perfeito. 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. For example: “Ele pareceu feliz ontem.” — “He seemed happy.” Everything on this page uses the forms of parecer exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Parecer in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu pareci
tu pareceste
ele/ela pareceu
nós parecemos
vós parecestes
eles/elas pareceram
Gerund: parecendo · Past participle: parecido
The gerund is parecendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Parecendo feliz, aprendo muito.” — “While seeming happy, I learn a lot.” The past participle is parecido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho parecido is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the pretérito perfeito is only one part of how parecer is used.
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.

How the pretérito perfeito of parecer is formed

The pretérito perfeito of parecer has six forms: eu pareci, tu pareceste, ele pareceu, nós parecemos, vós parecestes, eles pareceram. The participle is given here in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table. parecer is regular in the pretérito perfeito: the -ar endings are -ei, -aste, -ou, -ámos, -astes, -aram, and the -er and -ir endings are -i, -este, -eu, -emos, -estes, -eram. Learn the six forms as a set and the tense is yours — the endings never change for a regular verb.

Two things about the pretérito perfeito of parecer are worth noticing. First, it is the tense of finished events with a clear result, so it pairs naturally with time words such as ontem, esta semana and no ano passado — those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense. Second, it is a simple tense, built from one word, unlike the pretérito perfeito composto, which needs ter plus the participle parecido: tenho parecido. When the action is one finished event, reach for the simple form first.

Because the pretérito perfeito of parecer is one word per person, it is cheap to learn once the six forms are fixed. Learn them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and say each one with a time word, so the tense and its time words are learnt together.

When to use the pretérito perfeito of parecer

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use parecer in the pretérito perfeito most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. One finished action

The pretérito perfeito describes a single action that is finished, especially in spoken Portuguese. When the action has a clear end, the pretérito perfeito is the natural choice. Example: “Eu pareci feliz ontem.” — “I seemed happy.”

2. Recent events

Use the pretérito perfeito for things that happened recently — today, this week, this morning — where the result is still visible in the present. Example: “Ele pareceu feliz ontem.” — “He seemed happy.”

3. A sequence of events

When you tell what happened first, second and third, each step takes the pretérito perfeito. The tense moves the story forward one finished action at a time. Example: “Nós parecemos feliz ontem.” — “We seemed happy.”

4. An experience in your life

Use the pretérito perfeito for things you have done in your life, with or without a time expression. It is the tense of experience as much as of yesterday. Example: “Tu pareceste feliz ontem.” — “You seemed happy.”

5. News and results

When you report news or a result, the pretérito perfeito carries it: something happened, and now the situation is different. The result matters more than the process. Example: “Eles pareceram feliz ontem.” — “They seemed happy.”

Pretérito Perfeito vs Pretérito Imperfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the pretérito perfeito is the pretérito imperfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action, while the pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, or the background of a scene. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the pretérito perfeito sentences use words such as ontem or esta semana, while the pretérito imperfeito sentences use antigamente or todos os dias.

  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele pareceu feliz ontem.” — “He seemed happy”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele parecia feliz antigamente.” — “He used to seem happy”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu pareci feliz ontem.” — “I seemed happy”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu parecia feliz antigamente.” — “I used to seem happy”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu pareceste feliz ontem.” — “You seemed happy”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu parecias feliz antigamente.” — “You used to seem happy”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

Example sentences: parecer in the pretérito perfeito

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu pareci feliz ontem.” — “I seemed happy”
  2. “Tu pareceste feliz ontem.” — “You seemed happy”
  3. “Ele pareceu feliz ontem.” — “He seemed happy”
  4. “Nós parecemos feliz ontem.” — “We seemed happy”
  5. “Vós parecestes feliz ontem.” — “You seemed happy”
  6. “Eles pareceram feliz ontem.” — “They seemed happy”
  7. “Eu pareci feliz ontem.” — “I seemed happy”
  8. “Ele pareceu feliz ontem.” — “He seemed happy”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu pareço feliz ontem.” Right: “Eu pareci feliz ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito pareci for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu parecia feliz ontem.” Right: “Eu pareci feliz ontem.” Why: The pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual past action, not one finished event. For a single finished action yesterday, use the pretérito perfeito pareci.
  • Wrong: “Eu pareceste feliz.” Right: “Eu pareci feliz ontem.” Why: The eu form is pareci, not pareceste. pareceste is the tu form. Match the verb to the subject every time.
  • Wrong: “Eu parecer feliz.” Right: “Eu pareci feliz ontem.” Why: The infinitive parecer never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After eu you need the conjugated pretérito perfeito form pareci.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

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

    • A) pareceste
    • B) pareci
    • C) pareceu
    • D) parecemos

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

    • A) pareci
    • B) pareceu
    • C) pareceste
    • D) parecemos

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

    • A) pareci
    • B) pareceste
    • C) parecemos
    • D) pareceu

  4. What is the nós form of parecer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) parecemos
    • B) pareci
    • C) pareceste
    • D) pareceu

  5. What is the vós form of parecer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) pareci
    • B) parecestes
    • C) pareceste
    • D) pareceu

  6. What is the eles/elas form of parecer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) pareci
    • B) pareceste
    • C) pareceram
    • D) pareceu

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

    • A) pareceste
    • B) pareceu
    • C) parecemos
    • D) pareci

  8. What is the tu form of parecer in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) pareceste
    • B) pareci
    • C) pareceu
    • D) parecemos

Answer key

  1. B) pareci — the correct form is pareci. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) pareceste — the correct form is pareceste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) pareceu — the correct form is pareceu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) parecemos — the correct form is parecemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) parecestes — the correct form is parecestes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) pareceram — the correct form is pareceram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) pareci — the correct form is pareci. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) pareceste — the correct form is pareceste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does parecer mean in English?

parecer means “to seem”. It is a regular -er verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of parecer formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu pareci, tu pareceste, ele pareceu, nós parecemos, vós parecestes, eles pareceram.

When do I use the pretérito perfeito instead of the pretérito imperfeito?

Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. Use the pretérito imperfeito for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. The time words are your best clue: ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

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.

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