“Sembrare”: Italian grammar lesson 95

Today’s lesson is about the equivalent of the verbs “to seem” or “to look” in Italian.

How to use sembrare in Italian? Let’s learn it with simple rules and examples and practice with audio lessons.

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Summary

The article is an Italian grammar lesson that focuses on the verb "sembrare," which means "to seem." The article explains the various forms and uses of this verb, including its conjugation, its use with adjectives and nouns, and some common expressions that include it.

The article also provides examples of how to use "sembrare" correctly in different contexts. By the end of the article, readers should have a better understanding of how to use "sembrare" in their Italian conversations and writing.

Sembrare

We use sembrare when we want to give a personal opinion about something or someone.

Usually, it’s followed by an adjective (a word that describes something or someone), such as carino (nice), strano (strange), or stanco (tired).

Let’s have a look at some examples:

Sembri stanca. Stai bene?

You seem tired. Are you ok?

Loro sembrano simpatici.

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They seem nice.

Tua mamma sembrava arrabbiata.

Your mum seemed angry.

To seem in Italian

Sembrare: conjugation

Sembrare is a regular verb ending in -ARE like parlare, camminare, cucinare, etc. This means its conjugation is pretty simple.

Let’s have a look at it:

  • Io sembro (I seem)
  • Tu sembri (You seem)
  • Lui/lei sembra (He/She seems)
  • Noi sembriamo (We seem)
  • Voi sembrate (You seem)
  • Loro sembrano (They seem)

Of course, this verb can also be used in pastand future tenses.

Sembrare to seem

Mi sembra

If we want to specify who something seems nice too, we need an indirect object pronoun.

Let’s have a look at all of them:

  • mi: (to) me
  • ti: (to) you
  • gli/le: (to) him/ her
  • ci: (to) us
  • vi: (to) you
  • gli: (to) them

Have a look at these two very similar sentences, but with a very slight difference:

Lei sembra tanto carina.

She seems very nice.

Lei mi sembra tanto carina.

She seems very nice to me.

How to say to seem Italian

Practice with Quizlet

Here's a set of flashcards and quizzes to practice this grammar topic.

Sembrare: examples

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Now that you know the conjugation and the role of indirect object pronouns like mi, ti, gli, etc.

Let’s have a look at some more examples:

Ci sembra inutile parlare con il professore.

It seems useless to us to talk to the teacher.

Stasera sembravate arrabbiate.

You looked angry tonight.

Come ti è sembrato il suo fidanzato?

How did her boyfriend seem to you?

Sembri sorpreso. Non lo sapevi?

You seem surprised. Did you not know?

Tu sembri you seem

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FAQs on “Sembrare”: Italian grammar lesson 95

What does sembrare mean in Italian?

The word "Sembrare" is an Italian verb that is commonly used in the third person to convey the meaning of "to seem.

What does Sembra in Italian mean?

In Italian, the word "sembra" is used as the third person singular form of the English verb "to seem".

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