Speech replaces this verb almost entirely.
Natives rarely say sembler in casual speech. They say « on dirait » — literally “one would say”, meaning “it looks like”. « On dirait qu’il va pleuvoir. » If you want to sound natural, this is the swap to make.
You will also hear « il paraît que » constantly for gossip and hearsay, and « apparemment » as a one-word replacement for the whole structure.
💡 Focus at this level: Native slang
1. Swap « il semble » for « on dirait ». Instantly more natural.
2. « Il paraît que… » introduces gossip.
3. « Apparemment » alone does the job in one word.
Play the free French games → · Back to the full « sembler » chart →