sembrare

to seem

verb sem-BRAH-reh Common

Origin: From Latin similare (to resemble), from similis (like).

Also means

to appear

Usage Note

Sembrare takes essere as auxiliary in compound tenses: mi è sembrato strano = it seemed strange to me. Used impersonally, sembra che + subjunctive means 'it seems that'. The clitic mi sembra is a polite way to express an opinion.

Examples

"Mi sembra una buona idea."

Natural Translation

It seems like a good idea to me.

Literal Translation

To-me seems a good idea.

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