resultar familiar
/resultaɾ familjaɾ/from spelling rules
To say "look familiar" in Spanish, use resultar familiar.
This phrase is used when something seems known or recognized, even if you cannot pinpoint exactly where or when you have encountered it before. When expressing that something "looks" a certain way (as in giving an impression), Spanish speakers do not use the verb mirar, which refers to the physical act of looking with one's eyes. Instead, you should use resultar or parecer to convey that something strikes you as being familiar.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase resultar familiar literally means "to turn out familiar." The verb resultar means "to turn out" or "to result in," and it is used here to describe the impression something gives.
How does it change in a sentence?
While resultar familiar is the standard way to express that something strikes you as familiar, you can also use the verb parecer (to seem) to express the same idea.
How do you pronounce it?
/resultaɾ familjaɾ/
Did you know?
- If you want to say a person looks familiar, you might use resultar familiar, but if you want to say they look 'familiar' in a cheeky or overly casual way, you might instead use the word confianzudo.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, if something 'looks familiar' to the point of being a recurring memory, you might say it te suena (sounds to you), shifting the sense from sight to sound.
- The word familiar comes from the Latin familiāris, which relates to the 'familia'. In ancient Rome, this term encompassed not just blood relatives but also the household servants and dependents.
Examples in context
- ¿Te parece conocido/a?Does he/she look familiar to you?
- ¿Te resulta familiar este objeto?Does this object look familiar to you?
- ¿Te suena este lugar?Does this place seem familiar to you?
- ¿Le parece conocida esta situación?Does this situation seem familiar to you?
- Ese nombre me resulta familiar.That name looks familiar to me.
- Ese nombre me puede resultar familiar.That name might look familiar to me.
- Este lugar me debe de resultar familiar.This place must look familiar to me.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries familiar, resultar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
