sembler at B2 — the « me » that changes the mood
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One tiny pronoun decides the mood of the next verb.
Il semble que + subjunctive, il me semble que + indicative
This is the real B2 lesson and it is beautifully logical. Il semble que, with no pronoun, is impersonal and uncertain, so it takes the subjunctive: « il semble qu’il soit parti ».
Add me and you are asserting your own impression, which is a claim — so it switches to the indicative: « il me semble qu’il est parti ». The pronoun turns doubt into opinion, and French marks that with the mood.
💡 Focus at this level: Subjunctive — with or without « me »
👨🏫 How to use « sembler » at this level
1. No pronoun = subjunctive. « Il semble que ce soit vrai. »
2. With pronoun = indicative. « Il me semble que c’est vrai. »
3. Negative flips it back. « Il ne me semble pas que ce soit vrai. »
🎮 Practise « sembler »
Play the free French games → · Back to the full « sembler » chart →