How do you describe how things and people look?

Question

How would you describe how people or places/things look? Would you use parecer or ver, or does it depend on what you're describing?

Answer 1

Generally, we use ver to declare or ask how something looks, ie ¡Las fresas se ven bien sabrosas! (the strawberries look very tasty).

Or with people, ie: ¡Te ves bien guapa el día de hoy! (you look very beautiful today) Note: In latin culture it´s OK to compliment a woman on her appearence without fear of being called a rapist.

We use parecer to mean seem / appear, ie: Te pareces bien (you look/seem OK - not ill). Las fresas parecen bien (the stawberries appear OK) No declaration but just a reasonable guess with no commitment. Also: El hombre es bien parecido (the man is good looking) without any interest other than his looks.

We use aparecer as appear/show up, ie: Qué bueno que te apareces pero el avión ya se fue (it´s good you showed up but the airplane already left). Also: Ayer perdí mis llaves pero hoy de repente se aparecieron (yesterday I lost my keys but today suddenly they appeared.

Gracias--una explicación muy excelente. - EugenioCosta, Jun 6, 2013

I forgot an idiomatic usage, ie: "¿Qué te parece si nos vemos a las siete?" (What do you think if we meet at seven?) - 005faa61, Jun 7, 2013

That was very informative mate and helped me a great deal , thanks. - ray76, Jun 7, 2013

Gracias también. - EugenioCosta, Jun 7, 2013

So helpful. Thanks for the time you put into giving great help. - katydew, Jun 7, 2013

Answer 2

Sort of casual but "appearance" can be translated as pinta

...tiene buena pinta translates as "It looks good"

For example you might buy some food at the local colmado, you point to the item you want to choose and say:

Tomaré ese, tiene buena pinta = I'll take that one it looks good.(to me)

I once got stopped by the cops on my way to work one afternoon so they could check my documents. I hailed a cab afterwards and on the way I told the driver saying "Why me?" He replied (hear a gutteral andalus accent

Es la pinta tio. meaning roughly "...because of your appearance/the way you look, man"

Very interesting. Thanks for the context sentences. - katydew, Jun 7, 2013

Gracias. - EugenioCosta, Jun 10, 2013

Answer 3

La broma es que "Se ve bien" es ambiguo, en español y en italiano ("Si vede bene"").

Answer 4

Érase una vez Vasari hablaba con Miguel Ángel sobre la pintura. Vasari dijo: "Con mis métodos nuevos puedo pintar una hectárea de estos frescos en la mitad del tiempo que solía tardar." Y Miquel Ángel miró los frescos de Vasari y djio: "Se ve bien."

G'day mate, would you include the English translation please , it makes it hard for the majority of us that are still struggling with Spanish - ray76, Jun 7, 2013