parecer mentira

What does “parecer mentira” mean in English?

1. it seems unbelievable that, it's hard to believe that

   it seems unbelievable that, it's hard to believe that (parece mentira que + subjunctive — idiomatic)

Example sentences

• Parece mentira que ya hayan pasado diez años desde que terminamos la carrera y empezamos a trabajar.

  It's hard to believe that ten years have already passed since we finished university and started working.

• Me parece mentira que todavía no hayan resuelto un problema tan sencillo después de tanto tiempo.

  I can hardly believe that they still haven't solved such a simple problem after so long.

• ¿No te parece mentira que una entrada de cine cueste ahora el doble que hace cinco años?

  Doesn't it seem unbelievable to you that a cinema ticket now costs twice what it did five years ago?

How to use it

Parecer mentira (que) is an idiomatic impersonal expression meaning 'it seems unbelievable that' or 'it's hard to believe that'. Despite containing the word mentira (lie), the phrase does not mean 'it seems like a lie' in a deceptive sense — it expresses incredulity or surprise at an unexpected reality. It always triggers subjunctive: 'Parece mentira que ya hayas terminado todo'. The expression is common across all registers and is especially frequent in spoken Spanish.