Ese personaje no parece tan bueno, y por eso la trama me parece más real.

That character does not seem so good, and that is why the plot seems more real to me.

Breakdown of Ese personaje no parece tan bueno, y por eso la trama me parece más real.

• bueno: good
• tan: so
• y: and
• ese: that

Questions & Answers about Ese personaje no parece tan bueno, y por eso la trama me parece más real.

What does ese mean here, and why not este?

Ese means that. So ese personaje is that character.

A quick guide:

• este = this
• ese = that
• aquel = that over there / that one further away

In real conversation, ese is often used for something already mentioned or something the speaker is mentally pointing to. So ese personaje sounds like that character we’re talking about.

Why does the sentence use parece instead of es?

Because parecer means to seem / to appear, while ser means to be.

So:

• Ese personaje no es bueno = That character is not good
• Ese personaje no parece tan bueno = That character doesn’t seem that good

Using parecer makes the statement less absolute. It is about the speaker’s impression, not a direct fact claim.

Why is parece used twice in the same sentence?