"to seem" in seven languages
Meaningto seem
Spanish
parecer
/paɾeˈθeɾ/
other source · Latin *PĀRĒSCERE, from PĀRĒRE 'to appear'
French
sembler
/sɑ̃ble/
inherited
Italian
sembrare
/semˈbrare/
borrowed · Old Provençal semblar
Portuguese
parecer
/paɾeˈseh/
other source · Latin *PĀRĒSCERE, from PĀRĒRE 'to appear'
Romanian
părea
/pəˈre̯a/
other source · Latin PĀRĒRE 'to appear'
Catalan
semblar
/səmˈbla/
inherited
English
seem
/sim/
other source · Old Norse sœma 'to befit'
English → Italianto seemsembrareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: similar, resemble, simulate; appear (from PĀRĒRE, like es parecer).What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
SIMILĀRE‘to resemble (a variant of SIMULĀRE)’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
French and Italian say 'it resembles' (Italian probably took its verb from Provençal in the Middle Ages, l turning to r); Spanish says 'it appears', like English appear.
English relatives: similar, resemble, simulate; appear (from PĀRĒRE, like es parecer)
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esParece cansada.
- frElle semble fatiguée.
- itSembra stanca.
- ptEla parece cansada.
- roPare obosită.
- caSembla cansada.
- enShe seems tired.
More in Core verbs
- to walkcaminarmarchercamminarecaminharmerge pe joscaminar
- to begin, to startcomenzarcommencercominciarecomeçarîncepecomençar
- to buildconstruirconstruirecostruireconstruirconstruiconstruir
- to publishpublicarpublierpubblicarepublicarpublicapublicar
- to forgetolvidaroublierdimenticareesqueceruitaoblidar
- to listenescucharécouterascoltareescutarascultaescoltar