ELONIO
Log inSign up

Ese edificio se parece al de mi universidad.

Ese edificio se parece al de mi universidad.
That building looks like the one at my university.
FromLesson 71inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Ese edificio se parece al de mi universidad.

Why is it ese edificio and not este edificio?

Spanish has a three-way contrast with demonstratives:

  • este = this (close to the speaker)
  • ese = that (close to the listener, or not especially close to the speaker)
  • aquel = that over there (far from both)

So ese edificio means that building.
In many everyday situations, ese is the normal choice for that.

Examples:

  • Este edificio = this building
  • Ese edificio = that building
  • Aquel edificio = that building over there
Why does the sentence use se parece instead of just parece?

Because the verb for to resemble is parecerse a.

So:

That means:

  • Ese edificio se parece al de mi universidad = That building resembles the one at my university.
  • Ese edificio parece antiguo = That building seems old.

The se here is part of the verb parecerse. It is not really a reflexive idea like he washes himself. You should learn it as a fixed pattern:

  • parecerse a alguien/algo
Why is there al in se parece al de mi universidad?

Because parecerse always takes the preposition a:

  • parecerse a algo
  • parecerse a alguien

Here, the thing being compared is el de mi universidad, so:

  • a + el = al

That is why you get:

  • se parece al de mi universidad

This contraction is mandatory in standard Spanish:

  • a el ❌
  • al ✅
What does el de mi universidad mean exactly?

It is a shortened way of saying the one from/of my university.

The full idea would be something like:

  • Ese edificio se parece al edificio de mi universidad.

But Spanish often avoids repeating the noun when it is obvious. So el stands in for edificio:

  • el de mi universidad = the one from my university / my university’s one

This is very common in Spanish.

More examples:

  • Me gusta la camisa azul, no la roja.
  • Este coche es más rápido que el de mi hermano.
    = This car is faster than my brother’s.
Why is it de mi universidad and not something like mi universidad's building?

Spanish normally expresses possession with de, not with an apostrophe-like structure as in English.

So:

  • el edificio de mi universidad = my university’s building / the building at my university

This is the standard and natural way to say it.

Spanish can also use possessive adjectives:

  • mi universidad = my university

But when one noun belongs to another, de is extremely common:

  • la puerta de la casa = the door of the house / the house’s door
  • el coche de Ana = Ana’s car
Could I say Ese edificio parece el de mi universidad?

Not with exactly the same meaning.

  • parecerse a = to resemble
  • parecer = to seem / to look

So:

  • Ese edificio se parece al de mi universidad
    = That building resembles the one at my university.

But:

  • Ese edificio parece el de mi universidad
    sounds more like That building seems to be the one from my university or looks like it is the one from my university, which is a different idea and is not the usual phrasing for simple resemblance.

If you want to say two things look similar, parecerse a is the safer choice.

Is se parece singular because of edificio?

Yes. The subject is Ese edificio, which is singular, so the verb is singular:

  • Ese edificio se parece... = singular
  • Esos edificios se parecen... = plural

Examples:

  • Ese edificio se parece al de mi universidad.
  • Esos edificios se parecen a los de mi universidad.

Notice that both the verb and the demonstrative change in the plural:

  • ese → esos
  • se parece → se parecen
  • al → a los if the omitted noun is plural
Why is it ese and not esa?

Because edificio is a masculine noun:

In Spanish, demonstratives must agree with the noun in gender and number:

  • ese edificio = that building
  • esa casa = that house
  • esos edificios = those buildings
  • esas casas = those houses

So the masculine singular noun edificio requires ese.

Is universidad feminine? If so, why doesn’t that change el de mi universidad?

Yes, universidad is feminine:

  • la universidad

But el in el de mi universidad does not refer to universidad. It refers to the omitted noun edificio, which is masculine.

So the structure is really:

  • Ese edificio se parece al [edificio] de mi universidad.

Because edificio is masculine, you use:

  • el de mi universidad
  • and after a + el, you get al de mi universidad

If the omitted noun were feminine, it would change:

  • Esa biblioteca se parece a la de mi universidad.
Can I replace ese with aquel?

Yes, if the situation calls for it.

  • Ese edificio = that building
  • Aquel edificio = that building over there / that building farther away

So:

  • Aquel edificio se parece al de mi universidad is perfectly grammatical.

The difference is mainly one of distance or how you are mentally locating the building.

How would this sentence change in the plural?

It would become:

  • Esos edificios se parecen a los de mi universidad.

Changes:

  • ese → esos
  • edificio → edificios
  • se parece → se parecen
  • al → a los

Why a los instead of al? Because now the omitted noun is plural:

  • los [edificios] de mi universidad

So:

  • singular: al de mi universidad
  • plural: a los de mi universidad
How is se parece pronounced in Spain?

In standard Peninsular Spanish pronunciation:

  • se sounds roughly like seh
  • parece sounds roughly like pah-REH-theh in much of Spain, because the c before e is often pronounced like the th in thin
  • al = ahl

So the middle part may sound like:

  • seh pah-REH-theh ahl

A rough full pronunciation could be:

  • EH-seh eh-dee-FEE-thyo seh pah-REH-theh ahl deh mee oo-nee-behr-see-DAD

But exact pronunciation varies by region. In many parts of Latin America, parece would sound more like pah-REH-seh instead.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
Your avatar
“What's the best way to learn Spanish grammar?”
Spanish grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Spanish

Master Spanish — from Ese edificio se parece al de mi universidad to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Spanish→