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French · Verb · #22 most common

sembler

to seem
to appear

Regular1st ending

In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.

1.

Présent

Current actions, habits, and general truths.

jesemble
tusembles
il/ellesemble
noussemblons
voussemblez
ils/ellessemblent

Il semble heureux aujourd'hui.

He seems happy today.

Ces fleurs semblent magnifiques.

These flowers seem beautiful.

2.

Passé Composé

Completed past actions with present relevance.

jeai semblé
tuas semblé
il/ellea semblé
nousavons semblé
vousavez semblé
ils/ellesont semblé

Elle a semblé surprise par la nouvelle.

She seemed surprised by the news.

Ils ont semblé contents de nous voir.

They seemed happy to see us.

3.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.

jesemblais
tusemblais
il/ellesemblait
noussemblions
voussembliez
ils/ellessemblaient

Quand j'étais jeune, il me semblait que tout était possible.

When I was young, it seemed to me that anything was possible.

Il semblait fatigué après le voyage.

He seemed tired after the trip.

4.

Futur Simple

Future events, promises, and formal predictions.

jesemblerai
tusembleras
il/ellesemblera
noussemblerons
voussemblerez
ils/ellessembleront

Demain, elle semblera plus confiante.

Tomorrow, she will seem more confident.

Ils sembleront très occupés cette semaine.

They will seem very busy this week.

5.

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.

jesemblerais
tusemblerais
il/ellesemblerait
noussemblerions
voussembleriez
ils/ellessembleraient

Je penserais qu'il semble sincère.

I would think that he seems sincere.

Si elle était là, elle semblerait heureuse.

If she were here, she would seem happy.

6.

Subjonctif Présent

Doubt, desire, necessity, and emotion in subordinate clauses.

jesemble
tusembles
il/ellesemble
noussemblions
voussembliez
ils/ellessemblent

Il faut que tu sembles convaincu.

You need to seem convinced.

Je doute qu'il semble intéressé par le projet.

I doubt that he seems interested in the project.

7.

Plus-que-parfait

Actions completed before another past action.

jeavais semblé
tuavais semblé
il/elleavait semblé
nousavions semblé
vousaviez semblé
ils/ellesavaient semblé

Avant de partir, il avait semblé hésitant.

Before leaving, he had seemed hesitant.

Elle avait semblé très préoccupée la semaine dernière.

She had seemed very worried last week.

"sembler" in other languages

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "sembler" regular or irregular in French?
"sembler" is a regular 1st verb in French. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for 1st verbs.
How do you conjugate "sembler" in the present tense?
In the Présent, "sembler" conjugates as: semble, sembles, semblons, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "sembler" in French?
In the Passé Composé, "sembler" conjugates as: ai semblé, as semblé, avons semblé, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "sembler" in French?
"sembler" (to seem, to appear) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.