sembler

to seem

s ɑ̃ . b l e
sembl to seem + er Infinitive
verb Rare #36,563
to seem Often used with “sembler + infinitive” (to seem to do something) or “sembler que + clause” (it seems that…).
FR: Il peut sembler calme, mais il est stressé.
EN: He may seem calm, but he is stressed.
Conjugation of sembler
Indicative present
SingularPlural
First semble
Second sembles semblez
Third semble semblent
Subjunctive present
SingularPlural
First semble
Second sembles
Third semble semblent
Imperative
SingularPlural
Second semble semblez
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
Third semblait semblaient
Past
Indicative past
SingularPlural
Third sembla
sembler

Je ne veux pas sembler pessimiste.

I don't want to seem pessimistic.

Ça va te sembler curieux.

This is going to seem strange to you.

— Il était Temps (2013)

Les filles excitées peuvent parfois sembler jolies.

Horny girls can sometimes look pretty.

Ça va sembler ringard, je ne pensais pas qu'on puisse être si belle au réveil.

This is going to sound cheesy, but I didn’t think it was possible to look so beautiful first thing in the morning.

— La Femme de ménage (2025)

La maison va sembler vide sans toi.

The house will seem empty without you.

Vos hallucinations peuvent sembler très réelles, même si ce n'est pas le cas.

Your hallucinations may seem very real, even though they aren’t.

— La Femme de ménage (2025)

On m'a dit que je dois sembler maternel et manger beaucoup de pâtes.

I was told that I have to seem maternal and eat lots of pasta.

— Huit et demi (1963)

Sounds similar to