semblar

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan semblar, from Late Latin similāre, a verb based on Latin similis (“alike”). Compare Occitan semblar, French sembler.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [səmˈbla]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [semˈblaɾ]

Verb

semblar (first-person singular present semblo, first-person singular preterite semblí, past participle semblat); root stress: (Central) /ɛ/; (Valencia) /e/; (Balearic) /ə/

1. (impersonal) to seem, look

   Synonyms: parèixer, semblar se

   Sembla que vagi a ploure.

   It seems that it's going to rain.

2. to look like, resemble

   Synonym: assemblar-se

Conjugation

    Conjugation of semblar (first conjugation)

infinitive			semblar
gerund			semblant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		semblat		semblada
		plural		semblats		semblades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	semblo	sembles	sembla	semblem	sembleu	semblen
	imperfect	semblava	semblaves	semblava	semblàvem	semblàveu	semblaven
	future	semblaré	semblaràs	semblarà	semblarem	semblareu	semblaran
	preterite	semblí	semblares	semblà	semblàrem	semblàreu	semblaren
	conditional	semblaria	semblaries	semblaria	semblaríem	semblaríeu	semblarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	sembli	semblis	sembli	semblem	sembleu	semblin
	imperfect	semblés	semblessis	semblés	sembléssim	sembléssiu	semblessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	sembla	sembli	semblem	sembleu	semblin
	negative (no)	—	no semblis	no sembli	no semblem	no sembleu	no semblin

Related terms

• semblant
• semblança

Descendants

• → Spanish: semblar

References

• “semblar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “semblar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025

Franco-Provençal

Alternative forms

Alternative forms

• sembló (Beaujolais)
• sèblô (Bressan)
• simblâ (Dauphinois)
• semblá (Forézien)
• sembler (Lyonnais)
• sembler (Neuchâtelois)
• sembler (Savoyard)
• semblé (Valdôtain)
• sembllar (ORB, narrow)
  • chèbyé (Bressan)
  • chinbyâ (Fribourgeois)

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin similāre.

Verb

semblar (ORB, broad)

1. to seem
2. to resemble

References

• sembler in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
• sembllar in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

Further information

• AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 7: “come somiglia” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it
• ALF: Atlas Linguistique de la France^[1] [Linguistic Atlas of France] – map 1153: “ressemble” – on lig-tdcge.imag.fr
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “sĭmĭlare”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 11: S–Si, page 623

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from English seem, French sembler, Italian sembrare, ultimately from Late Latin similāre.

Verb

semblar (present tense semblas, past tense semblis, future tense semblos, imperative semblez, conditional semblus)

1. (intransitive) to seem, appear (to be)

Conjugation

Conjugation of semblar

		present		past		future
infinitive		semblar		semblir		semblor
tense		semblas		semblis		semblos
conditional		semblus		—		—
imperative		semblez		—		—
adjective active participle		semblanta		semblinta		semblonta
adverbial active participle		semblante		semblinte		semblonte
nominal active participle	singular	semblanto		semblinto		semblonto
	plural	semblanti		semblinti		semblonti

Derived terms

• semblanta (“ostensible, seeming, apparent”)
• semble (“apparently, seemingly”)
• sembligar
• sembligo
• semblo (“appearance”)

Old Occitan

Etymology

From Late Latin similāre, a verb derived from Latin similis (“similar”). Compare Old French sembler.

Verb

semblar

1. seem; to appear

Descendants

• Occitan: semblar
• → Italian: sembrare, sembiare, semblare (poetic, archaic)
• → Portuguese: sembrar
• → Spanish: semblar (archaic)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Catalan or Old Occitan semblar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /semˈblaɾ/ [sẽmˈblaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: sem‧blar

Verb

semblar (first-person singular present semblo, first-person singular preterite semblé, past participle semblado)

1. (intransitive, archaic) to look like, resemble, seem

   Synonym: semejar

Conjugation

    Conjugation of semblar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			semblar
gerund			semblando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		semblado		semblada
		plural		semblados		sembladas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	semblo	semblastú semblásvos	sembla	semblamos	sembláis	semblan
	imperfect	semblaba	semblabas	semblaba	semblábamos	semblabais	semblaban
	preterite	semblé	semblaste	sembló	semblamos	semblasteis	semblaron
	future	semblaré	semblarás	semblará	semblaremos	semblaréis	semblarán
	conditional	semblaría	semblarías	semblaría	semblaríamos	semblaríais	semblarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	semble	semblestú semblésvos2	semble	semblemos	sembléis	semblen
	imperfect (ra)	semblara	semblaras	semblara	sembláramos	semblarais	semblaran
	imperfect (se)	semblase	semblases	semblase	semblásemos	semblaseis	semblasen
	future1	semblare	semblares	semblare	sembláremos	semblareis	semblaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		semblatú semblávos	semble	semblemos	semblad	semblen
	negative		no sembles	no semble	no semblemos	no sembléis	no semblen

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

Further reading

• “semblar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10