Mi hija se parece a su madre.

my

Breakdown of Mi hija se parece a su madre.

• su: her
• la madre: the mother
• la hija: the daughter

Questions & Answers about Mi hija se parece a su madre.

Why is it se parece and not just parece?

Because parecerse a is the standard Spanish structure for to look like / to resemble someone.

• parecer on its own usually means to seem
  • Parece cansada = She seems tired
• parecerse a means to resemble
  • Se parece a su madre = She looks like her mother

So in this sentence, se parece a is the correct verb pattern.

What does the se mean here? Is it reflexive?

It looks reflexive, but here it is best understood as part of the verb parecerse a.

In other words, learners should usually memorize it as one unit:

• parecerse a alguien = to resemble someone

So although se is a reflexive-looking pronoun, the sentence does not mean that the daughter is literally doing something to herself. It is just how this verb is built.

Why is there an a before su madre?