Inherited from Middle French sembler, from Old French sembler, from Late Latin similāre, a verb based on Latin similis (“similar”). Doublet of simuler.
sembler
| infinitive | simple | sembler | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | semblant /sɑ̃.blɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | semblé /sɑ̃.ble/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | semble /sɑ̃bl/ |
sembles /sɑ̃bl/ |
semble /sɑ̃bl/ |
semblons /sɑ̃.blɔ̃/ |
semblez /sɑ̃.ble/ |
semblent /sɑ̃bl/ |
| imperfect | semblais /sɑ̃.blɛ/ |
semblais /sɑ̃.blɛ/ |
semblait /sɑ̃.blɛ/ |
semblions /sɑ̃.bli.jɔ̃/ |
sembliez /sɑ̃.bli.je/ |
semblaient /sɑ̃.blɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | semblai /sɑ̃.ble/ |
semblas /sɑ̃.bla/ |
sembla /sɑ̃.bla/ |
semblâmes /sɑ̃.blam/ |
semblâtes /sɑ̃.blat/ |
semblèrent /sɑ̃.blɛʁ/ | |
| future | semblerai /sɑ̃.blə.ʁe/ |
sembleras /sɑ̃.blə.ʁa/ |
semblera /sɑ̃.blə.ʁa/ |
semblerons /sɑ̃.blə.ʁɔ̃/ |
semblerez /sɑ̃.blə.ʁe/ |
sembleront /sɑ̃.blə.ʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | semblerais /sɑ̃.blə.ʁɛ/ |
semblerais /sɑ̃.blə.ʁɛ/ |
semblerait /sɑ̃.blə.ʁɛ/ |
semblerions /sɑ̃.blə.ʁjɔ̃/ |
sembleriez /sɑ̃.blə.ʁje/ |
sembleraient /sɑ̃.blə.ʁɛ/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior2 | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | semble /sɑ̃bl/ |
sembles /sɑ̃bl/ |
semble /sɑ̃bl/ |
semblions /sɑ̃.bli.jɔ̃/ |
sembliez /sɑ̃.bli.je/ |
semblent /sɑ̃bl/ |
| imperfect2 | semblasse /sɑ̃.blas/ |
semblasses /sɑ̃.blas/ |
semblât /sɑ̃.bla/ |
semblassions /sɑ̃.bla.sjɔ̃/ |
semblassiez /sɑ̃.bla.sje/ |
semblassent /sɑ̃.blas/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | semble /sɑ̃bl/ |
— | semblons /sɑ̃.blɔ̃/ |
semblez /sɑ̃.ble/ |
— | |
| compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en. | |||||||
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris , Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). | |||||||
From Old French sembler.
sembler
| infinitive | simple | sembler | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle1 or gerund2 | simple | semblant | |||||
| compound | present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | semblé | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | ie (i’) | tu | il, elle | nous | vous | ilz, elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | semble | sembles | semble | semblons | semblez | semblent |
| imperfect | semblois, sembloys | semblois, sembloys | sembloit, sembloyt | semblions, semblyons | sembliez, semblyez | sembloient, sembloyent | |
| past historic | sembla | semblas | sembla | semblasmes | semblastes | semblerent | |
| future | semblerai, sembleray | sembleras | semblera | semblerons | semblerez | sembleront | |
| conditional | semblerois, sembleroys | semblerois, sembleroys | sembleroit, sembleroyt | semblerions, sembleryons | sembleriez, sembleryez | sembleroient, sembleroyent | |
| (compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que ie (i’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ilz, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | semble | sembles | semble | semblons | semblez | semblent |
| imperfect | semblasse | semblasses | semblast | semblassions | semblassiez | semblassent | |
| (compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | semble | — | semblons | semblez | — | |
| compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château , Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679. | |||||||
| 2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château , op. cit., p. 180). | |||||||
From Late Latin similāre, a verb derived from Latin similis (“similar”).
sembler
This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. In the present tense an extra supporting e is needed in the first-person singular indicative and throughout the singular subjunctive, and the third-person singular subjunctive ending -t is lost. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | sembler | avoir semblé | |||||
| gerund | en semblant | gerund of avoir + past participle | |||||
| present participle | semblant | ||||||
| past participle | semblé | ||||||
| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | jo | tu | il | nos | vos | il | |
| simple tenses |
present | semble | sembles | semble | semblons | semblez | semblent |
| imperfect | sembloie, sembleie, sembloe, sembleve | sembloies, sembleies, sembloes, sembleves | sembloit, sembleit, semblot, sembleve | sembliiens, sembliens | sembliiez, sembliez | sembloient, sembleient, sembloent, semblevent | |
| preterite | semblai | semblas | sembla | semblames | semblastes | semblerent | |
| future | semblerai | sembleras | semblera | semblerons | sembleroiz, semblereiz, semblerez | sembleront | |
| conditional | sembleroie, semblereie | sembleroies, semblereies | sembleroit, semblereit | sembleriiens, sembleriens | sembleriiez, sembleriez | sembleroient, semblereient | |
| compound tenses |
present perfect | present tense of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect tense of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior | preterite tense of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future tense of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional tense of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que jo | que tu | qu’il | que nos | que vos | qu’il | |
| simple tenses |
present | semble | sembles | semble | semblons | semblez | semblent |
| imperfect | semblasse | semblasses | semblast | semblissons, semblissiens | semblissoiz, semblissez, semblissiez | semblassent | |
| compound tenses |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nos | vos | – | |
| — | semble | — | semblons | semblez | — | ||