seem

seem
seem vi
1 (give impression) sembler ; (in less formal French) avoir l'air ; he seems happy/sad il a l'air heureux/triste ; he seemed disappointed il a semblé déçu ; the statistics/experiments seem to indicate that… les statistiques/expériences semblent indiquer que… ; there seems to be a fault in the generator il semble y avoir un problème dans le générateur ; he seems to be looking for/to have lost… on dirait qu'il cherche/qu'il a perdu… ; it would seem so/not on dirait que oui/non ; the whole house seemed to shake on aurait dit que toute la maison tremblait ; things seem to be a lot better between them now ça a l'air d'aller bien mieux entre eux maintenant ; things are not always what they seem les apparences sont souvent trompeuses ; how does she seem today? comment va- t-elle aujourd'hui? ;
2 (have impression) it seems to me that… il me semble que… (+ indic) ; there seem to me to be two possibilities il me semble qu'il y a deux possibilités ; it seems/it very much seems as if ou as though il semble/semble fort que (+ subj) ; I seem to have done j'ai l'impression que j'ai fait ; I seem to have offended him j'ai l'impression que je l'ai vexé ; I seem to have forgotten my money je crois que j'ai oublié mon argent ; I seem to remember I left it on the table je crois me rappeler que je l'ai laissé sur la table ; it seems hours since we left on dirait qu'il y a des heures que nous sommes partis ; that would seem to be the right thing to do j'ai l'impression que c'est ce qu'il faut faire ; there doesn't seem to be any solution il semble qu'il n'y ait aucune solution ; there seems to be some mistake il semble qu'il y ait erreur ; it seemed like a good idea at the time cela avait l'air d'une bonne idée ;
3 (expressing criticism or sarcasm) he/she seems to think that… il/elle a l'air de croire que… ; they don't seem to realize that… ils n'ont pas l'air de se rendre compte que… ; you seem to have forgotten this point tu sembles avoir oublié ce détail ; (from evidence) they haven't, it seems, reached a decision yet ils ne sont pas encore arrivés à une décision apparemment ; it seems that sugar is bad for you apparemment cela vous fait du mal de manger du sucre ; what seems to be the problem? quel est le problème? ;
4 (despite trying) he can't seem to do on dirait qu'il n'arrive pas à faire ; I just can't seem to do je n'arrive pas à faire.

Big English-French dictionary. 2003.

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  • seem — W1S1 [si:m] v [linking verb, not in progressive] [Date: 1100 1200; : Old Norse; Origin: sœma to be appropriate to , from sœmr appropriate ] 1.) to appear to exist or be true, or to have a particular quality ▪ Ann didn t seem very sure. ▪ It seems …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • seem — [ sim ] verb intransitive never progressive *** 1. ) to appear to be something or appear to have a particular quality: John seems nice. seem (to be) someone/something: Susan seems a very sensible person. seem happy/genuine/relaxed etc. to someone …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • seem´er — seem «seem», intransitive verb. 1. to look like; appear to be: »This apple seemed good but was rotten inside. Does this room seem hot to you? He seemed a very old man. He seemed very strong for his age. 2. to appear to oneself: »I still seem to… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Seem — (s[=e]m), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Seemed} (s[=e]md); p. pr. & vb. n. {Seeming}.] [OE. semen to seem, to become, befit, AS. s[=e]man to satisfy, pacify; akin to Icel. s[ae]ma to honor, to bear with, conform to, s[ae]mr becoming, fit, s[=o]ma to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • seem — /seem/, v.i. 1. to appear to be, feel, do, etc.: She seems better this morning. 2. to appear to one s own senses, mind, observation, judgment, etc.: It seems to me that someone is calling. 3. to appear to exist: There seems no need to go now. 4.… …   Universalium

  • seem — seem, look, appear can mean to be as stated in one s view or judgment, but not necessarily in fact Often they are used interchangeably with apparently no difference in meaning {he seems tired} {the students look eager} {the orchestra appeared… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • seem — [sēm] vi. [ME semen, prob. < ON sœma, to conform to (akin to OE seman, to bring to agreement) < IE base * sem > SAME] 1. a) to appear to be; have the look of being [to seem happy] b) to appear; give the impression: usually followed by an …   English World dictionary

  • Seem — Seem, v. t. To befit; to beseem. [Obs.] Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • seem — ► VERB 1) give the impression of being. 2) (cannot seem to do) appear to be unable to do, despite having tried. ORIGIN originally also in the sense «be appropriate»: from an Old Norse word meaning fitting …   English terms dictionary

  • seem|ly — «SEEM lee», adjective, li|er, li|est, adverb. –adj. 1. fitting or becoming with respect to good taste; suitable; proper: »Some old people do not consider modern dances seemly. SYNONYM(S) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Seem. — Seem., bei Pflanzennamen Abkürzung für B. Seemann (s. d.) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

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