Me parece bien/mal/correcto

Question

Hello,

I'm a little confused by a specific usage of 'me parece' and wondered if someone would be so kind as to help me.

With "me parece que" I'd normally use the indicative and with "no me parece que" I'd normally use the subjunctive.

From what I can gather, it seems normal to use the subjunctive with 'me parece bien que' and also, for example, 'no me parece mal que'.

In other words, it looks like adding bien, mal or correcto (and probably some other words), makes the subjunctive necessary whether the statement's positive or negative.

I'd really appreciate your opinion on this one.

Many thanks in advance

Welcome to the forum, :) very nice first thread, good job - 00494d19, Sep 26, 2011

good question! I'm watching this thread :) - billygoat, Sep 26, 2011

Answer 1

Sometimes I wonder why certain very sensible posts linger for a while with no response. I think it's because this kind of question creates a little doubt in the minds of non-native speakers and this makes people hesitant to reply.

But sure, I agree with your supposition. Me parece bien/mal expresses your emotion or opinion about something. You are not stating a fact, and the subjunctive mood is usually expected.

When you start the primary clause with "Parece que...", this is an impersonal construction. The subject is the "empty third person", ie there is no specific subject. This does not express a subject's opinion or conjecture with regard to something, so the indicative mood would usually follow.

But "Impersonal observations" is one of the "weirdo" triggers for subjunctive...! - pesta, Sep 26, 2011

Answer 2

Gracias Heidita,

Creí que hubiera pegado uno y dos veces en el pasado pero quizás no

You did back in May, another good one but it is hard to keep up with everyone. You bring up good questions, you should do it more often.;) - Yeser007, Sep 26, 2011

Thanks, I have questions all the time but I don't want to abuse the resource - it's a great though and I appreciate the useful and rapid help that people freely give. I use the Spanishdict App every single day, what a brilliant free tool that is. - model600, Sep 26, 2011

Answer 3

But "Impersonal observations" is one of the "weirdo" triggers for subjunctive.

Yes, but the "Impersonal" construction that calls for the subjunctive is one which impersonally evokes a value, belief or opinion, for instance:

Es importante que comprendas el subjuntivo. Es malo que no te sientas bien.

In these expressions, someone's subjective opinion is being expressed in an impersonal construction. Comparatively, when one says:

Parece que has estudiado duro, or Parece que va a llover

these expressions are observations more than opinions.

Answer 4

Thanks for your reply Jeremias... I'm less confused by "parece que" than the contrast between "me parece que" versus "me parece bien/mal/correcto"/"no me parece que bien/mal/correcto".

But I suppose that the addition of, for example, "bien or mal" to "me parece" changes it from indicative to subjunctive because "bien" makes the statement an opinion rather than a statement of belief.

Without "bien", "mal" etc I tend to think of "me parece" as equal to "creo que".

Your clarification is appreciated.