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Me parece injusto cuando un profesor grita en lugar de explicar con calma.

Me parece injusto cuando un profesor grita en lugar de explicar con calma.
It seems unfair to me when a teacher yells instead of explaining calmly.
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Questions & Answers about Me parece injusto cuando un profesor grita en lugar de explicar con calma.

What does me parece literally mean, and why do we need me here?

Literally, me parece means “it seems to me”.

  • parece = it seems / it appears
  • me = to me

So the structure is:

  • [Indirect object] + parece + [adjective / phrase]
  • Me parece injusto = It seems unfair to me → I find it unfair / I think it’s unfair.

Spanish is marking whose opinion it is with the pronoun me.
You can also emphasize it:

  • A mí me parece injusto… = To me, it seems unfair…
What’s the difference between me parece injusto and pienso que es injusto or creo que es injusto?

All three express an opinion, but the nuance is slightly different:

  • Me parece injusto…

    • Very common, slightly softer and more subjective.
    • Literally: It seems unfair to me…

  • Pienso que es injusto…

    • More like I think (intellectually) that it’s unfair…
    • Slightly more “rational” or “reasoned” opinion.

  • Creo que es injusto…

    • I believe / I think it’s unfair…
    • Very common; similar to English I think.

In everyday speech, me parece and creo que are extremely frequent and often interchangeable.
In your sentence, me parece injusto sounds natural and conversational.

Why is it injusto (masculine) and not injusta? What is it agreeing with?

Injusto is agreeing with an implicit masculine singular noun like:

  • (Eso) me parece injusto. = (That) seems unfair to me.

The “that” (eso) is not written, but it’s understood, and eso is grammatically masculine and singular, so:

  • eso injusto → injusto

You’d only use injusta if the thing you’re describing is grammatically feminine:

  • Esa regla me parece injusta. = That rule seems unfair to me.
    • regla is feminine → injusta

In your original sentence, the thing that’s unfair is a whole situation (cuando un profesor grita…), so Spanish treats it like a neutral/masculine abstract eso → injusto.

Why is it cuando un profesor grita (indicative) and not cuando un profesor grite (subjunctive)?

Because here cuando introduces a general, habitual situation, not a future/uncertain one.

Use indicative (like grita) when:

  • You’re talking about a general truth or habit:
    • Me molesta cuando la gente llega tarde.
    • It bothers me when people arrive late (in general).

Use subjunctive (like grite) with cuando mainly when referring to future / uncertain / not yet realized actions:

  • Cuando un profesor grite, voy a salir del salón.
    When a teacher shouts (if that happens in the future), I’m going to leave the classroom.

In your sentence:

  • cuando un profesor grita = whenever a teacher shouts / when a teacher shouts (in general)
    → so grita (indicative) is correct.
Why is it un profesor and not el profesor?

Un profesor here is generic: a teacher / any teacher.

  • un profesor = a teacher in general, any teacher that fits this description
  • el profesor would normally point to:
    • a specific, known teacher (the teacher we are talking about), or
    • teachers in general in a more abstract way, but that use is less common in modern spoken Spanish.

So:

  • Me parece injusto cuando un profesor grita…
    = I find it unfair when a teacher (any teacher) shouts…

If you mean a specific one, you might say:

  • Me parece injusto cuando el profesor grita…
    = I find it unfair when the teacher shouts… (a particular teacher already known in context)
How would I refer to a female professor or be more gender-specific/inclusive?

Basic forms:

  • un profesor = a (male) teacher / professor
  • una profesora = a (female) teacher / professor

In many Latin American contexts, profesor (masculine) is also used generically to mean “teacher” without specifying gender, especially in writing or general statements.

Alternatives you’ll hear:

  • un maestro / una maestra – common in primary/elementary school contexts.
  • el/la profe – informal, often used by students for both men and women.

So you could say:

  • Me parece injusto cuando una profesora grita…
    = I find it unfair when a (female) teacher shouts…
What does en lugar de mean exactly, and is it the same as en vez de?

En lugar de literally means “in place of / instead of”.

  • en lugar de explicar con calma
    = instead of explaining calmly

En vez de is a very common synonym:

  • Me parece injusto cuando un profesor grita en vez de explicar con calma.

In most everyday contexts, en lugar de and en vez de are interchangeable.
En lugar de can sound just a bit more formal, but the difference is small.

Why is explicar in the infinitive after en lugar de?

Because when the subject of both actions is the same, Spanish uses en lugar de + infinitive:

  • Same subject (the teacher):
    • Un profesor grita en lugar de explicar con calma.
      (The teacher) shouts instead of explaining calmly.

If the subject changed, you’d need a different structure, usually en lugar de que + subjunctive:

  • En lugar de que el profesor grite, prefiero que explique con calma.
    Instead of the teacher shouting, I prefer that he explains calmly.

But in your sentence, the teacher both grita and explicar (con calma), so en lugar de + infinitive is the right pattern.

What does con calma mean, and why not use an adverb like calmadamente?

Con calma literally = “with calm”, and it’s the natural, everyday way to say:

  • calmly / in a calm way / calmly and without rushing

Calmadamente is grammatically correct (-mente adverb), but:

  • It’s far less common in everyday speech.
  • It can sound a bit more formal or unnatural in casual conversation.

More natural options are:

  • explicar con calma – very common
  • explicar tranquilamente – also common, means roughly the same

So your sentence is very natural as-is with con calma.

Could I say explicar calmamente or explicar de manera calmada instead of con calma?

Yes, but they don’t sound as natural in casual speech:

  • explicar calmamente – correct, but sounds somewhat formal or “bookish”.
  • explicar de manera calmada – also correct, but longer and more formal.

The most natural, everyday choices in Latin American Spanish here are:

  • explicar con calma
  • explicar tranquilamente

So your original phrasing is the best for normal conversation.

What is the role of me in me parece injusto? Can I drop it?

Me is an indirect object pronoun meaning “to me”. It marks whose opinion it is:

  • Me parece injusto. = To me, it seems unfair. / I find it unfair.

You cannot drop me if you want to express “to me”:

  • Parece injusto. = It seems unfair. (to someone, in general, or context decides)

You can emphasize me by adding a mí:

  • A mí me parece injusto… = To me, it seems unfair… (emphasis on me)
How would I make the sentence negative, like “I don’t find it unfair when a teacher shouts…”?

To make me parece injusto negative, put no before me:

  • No me parece injusto cuando un profesor grita en lugar de explicar con calma.
    = I don’t find it unfair when a teacher shouts instead of explaining calmly.

Pattern:
no + indirect object pronoun + parece + adjective
→ No me parece justo / No me parece necesario / No me parece correcto, etc.

Are there common Latin American alternatives to profesor in this context?

Yes. In Latin America you’ll often hear:

  • maestro / maestra – very common, especially for school teachers:
    • Me parece injusto cuando un maestro grita…
  • profe – informal, used for both profesor and profesora:
    • Me parece injusto cuando un profe grita…

Profesor is perfectly correct and widely understood everywhere; it can sound a bit more “academic” (high school, university), while maestro is strongly associated with primary/elementary school in many countries.