El disfraz parece nuevo.

The costume looks new.

Breakdown of El disfraz parece nuevo.

• nuevo: new
• parecer: to seem
• el disfraz: the costume

Questions & Answers about El disfraz parece nuevo.

Why is it el disfraz and not la disfraz?

Because disfraz is a masculine noun in Spanish, so it takes the masculine article el.

A good rule to remember: noun gender in Spanish is grammatical, so it does not depend on whether the object is masculine or feminine in real life. You simply learn disfraz as el disfraz.

What does parece mean here, and why is it used instead of es?

Parece comes from the verb parecer, which means to seem or to appear.

So:

• El disfraz parece nuevo = The costume seems new
• El disfraz es nuevo = The costume is new

The sentence with parece is less direct. It suggests that, based on appearance, the costume looks new, but the speaker may not know for certain.

Why is it parece and not parecen?

Because the subject is el disfraz, which is singular.

Spanish verbs must agree with the subject:

• el disfraz parece = the costume seems
• los disfraces parecen = the costumes seem

Since there is only one costume here, parece is the correct form.