The Regular Verb Sembler: How to Use It

Sembler is a very common intransitive French verb. It is a regular -er verb that can be personal or impersonal, and it may be followed by the subjunctive. It means "seem" or "appear," which gives it a lot of utility in everyday speech. 

Common Uses of 'Sembler'

   Tu me sembles bien fatigué
   You seem / look very tired to me

   Il ne semble pas convaincu
   He doesn't seem convinced

'Sembler' can be followed by an adjective or an infinitive.

   Ton idée semble intéressante
   Your idea seems interesting

   La maison semble secouer
   The house seems to be shaking

   Cela semble indiquer que nous avions raison
   This seems to indicate that we were right

'Il semble' constructions

Il semble is an impersonal construction that means "it seems." It can be followed by an adjective + de + infinitive or que + subjunctive.

   Il semble important d'essayer.
   It seems important to try.

   Il ne semble pas qu'il soit prêt.
   It doesn't seem like he's ready.

However, when il semble is modified with an indirect object pronoun, it takes the indicative.

   Il me semble que tu as raison.
   It seems to me that you're right.

   Il nous semble que Paul peut le faire.
   It seems to us that Paul can do it.

Expressions with 'Sembler'

   comme bon me/te semble > as I/you see fit

   Faites comme bon vous semble. > Do as you please; do what you think is best.

   Il me semble que oui (non). > I (don't) think so.

   Prenez ce que bon vous semble. > Take what you wish.

   Que vous en semble ? > What do you make of it?

   à ce qu'il semble; semble t'il > apparently, seemingly

Conjugation of 'Sembler' (Present Tense Regular)

je semble
tu sembles
il semble
nous semblons
vous semblez
ils semblent

Additional Resource

All 'sembler' tenses