Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

ASKING AND GIVING OPINIONS 55.2Nos parece que no hay otra alternativa.We think there’s no other alternative.No nos parece que haya necesidad.We don’t think there is any need.Notice that when parecer is negated, as in the last example, the verb in the subordinateclause must be a subjunctive. 18.1.5 (p. 85)Note also that the verb in the main clause, in this instance parecer, may be in a tenseother than the present, in which case the complement verb must show appropriateagreement with it.Me parecía que podía resolverse.I thought it could be solved.No me parecía que pudiera resolverse.I didn’t think it could be solved.Parecer may be followed by an adjective or an adverb in constructions like thefollowing ones:Me/nos parece + adjective/adverbMe/nos parece + adjective/adverb + que + subjunctive.‘I/we think . . .’In the second construction, the complement verb is in the subjunctive, even whenparecer is in the affirmative.Me parece muy raro.He/it seems very strange to me.Nos parece muy bien.It seems all right to us.Me parece raro que él no esté aquí.It seems strange to me that he is not here.Nos parece mal que hayan dicho eso.We think it’s wrong that they have said that.55.2.2CreerCreer, ‘to think’, is found in set phrases like:322Creo/creemos que sí ‘I/we think so’Creo/creemos que no ‘I/we don’t think so’Es estupendo, ¿no crees?It’s great, don’t you think so?Sí, creo que sí.Yes, I think so.It is also very common in the following constructions: