Please help with modifiers in sentence

Question

I almost, but not quite, understand my mistake in translating a Fluencia review sentence: "What do you think of this color for the kitchen?" "¿Qué te parece este color para la cocina?" I keep wanting to say "te pareces". What is the logic in the translation?

Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

"¿Qué te parece este color para la cocina?" I keep wanting to say "te pareces".

Once you have identified the main functions of the words, you won´t want to say "te pareces".

Este color - subject

Parece - verb

Te - person affected by the action - indirect object (in this case "you")

Para la cocina - prepositional phrase (just a modifying clause)

If you were asked about your girlfriend´s opinion, the sentence would be nearly the same except for the person affected by the action, ie: ¿Qué le parece (a tu novia) este color para la cocina?

The part in parenthesis is only necessary if le has not been previously identified.

Answer 2

Thank you all for your answers! I refuse to mark one of them "best," because they all helped. I was mixing in reflexive and regular actions and causing myself confusion. Thank you again. I see now that "este color" is the subject.

Have a vote yourself for thanking everyone. - ian-hill, Jul 25, 2016

Answer 3

"¿Qué te parece? How does it seem to you (te is "to you')

If you say "¿Qué te pareces?" You are saying"how do you seem to yourself?"

"pareces" means "you seem" You would do well to check out the conjugation of present tense "er" verbs.

Answer 4

Reflexive verbs are verbs in which the person(s) doing the action is receiving the result of the action. You can't put too much thought into it. "te parece" is the clue in this sentence... if it were reflexive, then it would read "te pareces" because the person(s) receiving the action is the same person(s) doing the action. You also can't put too much thought into it because Spanish translation isn't always literal. You'll have to get accustomed to the way Spanish-speaking people from all regions speak. Having said that....

Parecer: to seem/guess Parecerse: to resemble/look like

The sentence reads: What does this color for the kitchen seem to you?(a literal translation... but Anglophones don't speak like this).