Parecer
to seem / to look like / to appear
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | pareço | Eu pareço mais calma do que estou — é um dom e uma máscara. — I seem calmer than I am — it's a gift and a mask. |
| você/ele/ela | parece | Ela parece dez anos mais jovem do que é. — She looks ten years younger than she is. |
| nós | parecemos | Nós parecemos irmãs — as pessoas perguntam sempre. — We look like sisters — people always ask. |
| eles/elas | parecem | Eles parecem cansados mas dizem que estão bem. — They seem tired but say they're fine. |
I seem calm in public but inside there's a congress happening. My friend seems indifferent and is the one who cares most — I learned to read her. We seem like a united team because we work at it — it's not by chance. Appearances deceive — but they also communicate.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | parecei | Eu parecei mais confiante do que me sentia — e isso ajudou. — I seemed more confident than I felt — and that helped. |
| você/ele/ela | pareceu | Ela pareceu surpresa mas acho que já sabia. — She seemed surprised but I think she already knew. |
| nós | parecemos | Nós parecemos concordar na superfície mas divergimos no fundo. — We seemed to agree on the surface but diverged underneath. |
| eles/elas | pareceram | Eles pareceram aliviados quando a notícia chegou. — They seemed relieved when the news arrived. |
The interview was intense. I seemed more prepared than I was — and it worked. My friend seemed to the panel exactly what she was: competent and human. We seemed to the committee like a team that knew what it wanted. Those who seemed most confident were the ones who showed the most honest doubts.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | parecia | Eu parecia mais velha do que era quando usava óculos de grau. — I used to look older than I was when I wore glasses. |
| você/ele/ela | parecia | Ela parecia saber o fim das histórias antes de ouvir. — She used to seem to know the end of stories before hearing them. |
| nós | parecíamos | Nós parecíamos inseparáveis — e éramos. — We used to seem inseparable — and we were. |
| eles/elas | pareciam | Eles pareciam felizes em público — o resto era privado. — They used to seem happy in public — the rest was private. |
In adolescence, I used to seem older — and I used that to my advantage. My mum used to seem not to notice things she completely noticed. We used to seem like rivals but were allies when it mattered. The teachers used to seem more confident than they were — that calmed us.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou parecer | Vou parecer mais segura do que estou — é estratégia. — I'm going to seem more confident than I am — it's strategy. |
| você/ele/ela | vai parecer | Ela vai parecer indiferente mas vai estar prestando atenção em tudo. — She's going to seem indifferent but will be paying attention to everything. |
| nós | vamos parecer | Vamos parecer que sabemos o que estamos fazendo — e vamos descobrindo no caminho. — We're going to seem like we know what we're doing — and we'll figure it out as we go. |
| eles/elas | vão parecer | Eles vão parecer insatisfeitos mas é só o estilo deles. — They're going to seem unsatisfied but it's just their style. |
The board meeting is coming. I'm going to seem more prepared with a good presentation. My director is going to seem satisfied regardless of the result — it's his style. We're going to seem aligned even if there's divergence to resolve underneath. The investors are going to seem more interested than they are — it's protocol.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | parecerei | Parecerei mais velha em dez anos — e vou abraçar isso. — I will seem older in ten years — and I will embrace that. |
| você/ele/ela | parecerá | Ela parecerá uma líder natural assim que assumir o cargo. — She will seem a natural leader as soon as she takes the role. |
| nós | pareceremos | Pareceremos mais unidos quando tivermos superado isso. — We will seem more united when we have overcome this. |
| eles/elas | parecerão | Eles parecerão mais confiantes com mais experiência. — They will seem more confident with more experience. |
The communiqué was strategic: The company will seem stable even during the transition. We will seem united before the public during the merger process. The leaders will seem confident in press statements. I will seem serene at the press conference regardless of what I feel inside.
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | pareceria | Eu pareceria mais jovem se dormisse mais. — I would look younger if I slept more. |
| você/ele/ela | pareceria | Ela pareceria mais relaxada com menos responsabilidade. — She would seem more relaxed with fewer responsibilities. |
| nós | pareceríamos | Pareceríamos mais profissionais com um escritório fixo. — We would seem more professional with a fixed office. |
| eles/elas | pareceriam | Eles pareceriam mais motivados num ambiente melhor. — They would seem more motivated in a better environment. |
If I slept well, I would look ten years younger — so they say. My friend would seem more approachable if he smiled a little more. We would seem more confident as an organisation with clearer communication. Brands would seem more human if the people behind them appeared more.
Parecer across the tenses
A short story using parecer in multiple tenses
Minha avó parecia saber tudo — e provavelmente sabia mais do que dizia. Parecia calma mesmo quando o assunto era difícil. Nós parecíamos a turma mais barulhenta da mesa — e talvez fôssemos.
Hoje eu pareço ela em algumas coisas e isso me faz sorrir. Ontem parecai confiante numa situação em que estava completamente perdida — e deu certo. Parecemos o que precisamos ser às vezes — e com sorte vamos nos tornando.
No próximo encontro com ela, vou parecer feliz de verdade — porque vou estar. Se der, parecerei tanto ela que ela vai rir.
Perguntei a ela como ela pareceria se pudesse escolher. Ela deu uma risada: Pareceria exatamente o que sou — nunca fui boa atriz. E foi sempre o melhor dela.
My grandmother used to seem to know everything — and probably knew more than she let on. She used to seem calm even when the subject was difficult. We used to seem like the noisiest table in the room — and perhaps we were. Today I seem like her in some things and that makes me smile. Yesterday I seemed confident in a situation where I was completely lost — and it worked. We seem what we need to be sometimes — and hopefully we're becoming it. At our next meeting, I'm going to seem genuinely happy — because I will be. If it works out, I will seem so much like her that she'll laugh. I asked her how she would seem if she could choose. She laughed: I would seem exactly what I am — I was never a good actress. And it was always her best quality.
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