sembler

Sembler is a French verb meaning to seem or to appear. It is used to express an impression or perception of how something looks or feels, often in statements about probability, possibility, or appearance. In everyday speech it commonly appears in impersonal constructions such as il semble, meaning it seems or it looks like.

Conjugation and forms follow the standard pattern of regular -er verbs. In the present indicative, the forms are je semble, tu sembles, il semble, nous semblons, vous semblez, ils semblent. The passé composé is formed with avoir and the past participle semblé: j’ai semblé, tu as semblé, il a semblé, nous avons semblé, vous avez semblé, ils ont semblé. The imperfect is je semblais, tu semblais, il semblait, nous semblions, vous sembliez, ils semblaient. The future simple yields je semblerai, tu sembleras, il semblera, nous semblerons, vous semblerez, ils sembleront. The subjunctive present exists (que je semble, que tu sembles, qu’il semble, que nous semblions, que vous sembliez, qu’ils semblent), though it is rarely needed in everyday use.

Usage and nuance:sembler is often paired with il semble que to introduce a clause that expresses an impression, hypothesis, or probability, as in Il semble qu’il va pleuvoir. The verb can also form comparative phrases and is sometimes contrasted with paraître, which leans more toward outward appearance than perception. The past participle semblé is used in compound tenses, and the related noun semblant means appearance or pretense, while semblable means similar. Etymologically,sembler derives from Old French semblier, from Latin simulare, related to the idea of resembling or imitating.