Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

Expressing opinions 55.2Me gustaría conocer su opinión sobre este problema.I’d like to know your opinion about this problem.Quisiéramos conocer su opinión acerca de esta materia.We’d like to know your opinion about this matter. 58.1 (p. 340)55.1.6Other ways of asking someone’s opinionThe following expressions are fairly common and can be used in either formal orinformal situations:¿Cuál es su/tu parecer (sobre . . .)? ‘What’s your opinion (about . . .)?’¿Qué opinión le/te merece (. . .)? ‘What’s your opinion (about..)?’En su/tu opinión . . . ‘In your opinion . . .’Y Vd./tú, ¿cómo lo ve/s? ‘How do you see it?’¿Está/s de acuerdo conmigo? ‘Do you agree with me?’¿No le/te parece? ‘Don’t you think so?’55.2Expressing opinionsPersonal opinions are normally conveyed by asserting an idea directly, using anindicative verb:El clima de Andalucía es muy agradable.The climate in Andalusia is very pleasant.Sevilla es una ciudad bonita.Seville is a beautiful city.Los españoles son muy sociables.Spaniards are very sociable.In addition, there are certain verbs and expressions which are associated morespecifically with opinions, the most common of which are:55.2.1ParecerParecer, ‘to seem’, is found in set phrases like:321Me/nos parece que sí ‘I/we think so’Me/nos parece que no ‘I/we don’t think so’¿Vendrá Pepe a la reunión?Will Pepe come to the meeting?Me parece que sí/no.I think/don’t think so.It also occurs in constructions like the following ones:Me/nos parece que + indicative ‘I/we think that . . .’No me/nos parece que + subjunctive ‘I/we don’t think that . . .’