te pareces a
/te paɾeθes a/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "you look like" is said as te pareces a.
The phrase te pareces a is used to state that someone has a similar physical appearance to another person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from the reflexive verb parecerse (to resemble or be similar) and the preposition a (to).
Which one should you use?
While te pareces a is used for physical resemblance, the form pareces (without the reflexive pronoun and the preposition a) is used to mean "you seem," referring to a person's character or the impression they give.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "he looks like" or "she looks like," change the reflexive pronoun from te to se to form se parece a.
How do you pronounce it?
/te paɾeθes a/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget to include the preposition a after the verb. Remember that you must say te pareces a [someone] rather than just te pareces.
Did you know?
- The word parecer shares a root with the English word 'appear', as both come from Latin words meaning 'to show' or 'to seem'.
- While te pareces a is for looks, Spanish uses the word parecer to express opinions, such as me parece que, which means 'it seems to me that'.
- In Spanish, you can say se parecen to describe two people who look alike without needing to name them individually.
Examples in context
- Te pareces a un papión.You look like a baboon.This sentence shows how to use te pareces a to compare someone to an animal.Tatoeba #4351046 by umano, translation #3826426 by CK
- Te pareces a mi hermana.You look like my sister.This sentence uses te pareces a to compare someone to a family member.Tatoeba #5245541 by albrusgher, translation #3664504 by Luciosp
- Te pareces a Frank Sinatra.You look like Frank Sinatra.This sentence uses te pareces a to compare someone to a famous person.Tatoeba #11949204 by Eremon, translation #4256657 by JFMorais
- Te pareces a mi mejor amigaYou look like my best friend
- Eres igualito a tu padreYou look just like your father
- Te pareces a tu hermanaYou look like your sister
- Eres igualito a tu madreYou look just like your mother
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are looking at an old photograph of Daniel's father.
- SofíaTe pareces a tu padre en esta foto.You look like your father in this photo.
- Daniel¿De verdad? No lo veo.Really? I don't see it.
- SofíaSí, te pareces mucho a él.Yes, you look a lot like him.
- DanielGracias, Sofía.Thanks, Sofía.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
