seems to

What you'll learn

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to use "seems to" to express a personal impression with a degree of caution.

When do I use it?

"Seems to" is like "appears to" but with more of the speaker's personal feeling or impression:

"She seems to be very happy."
"The plan seems to have failed."
"He seems to know everyone here."

It softens your statement: you are giving your impression, not a certainty.

How do I form it?

Structure

subject + seems to + base verb subject + seems to have + past participle (past) it seems that + clause

The meeting seems to be going well.
They seem to have forgotten the date.
It seems that no one noticed.
The idea seems to make sense.

Common mistakes for Spanish speakers

Warning

Spanish "parece que" + subjunctive becomes "seems that + clause" in English, but the infinitive form is more natural: "it seems to work" beats "it seems that it works". Do not stack structures: "it seems to be that it is fine" is wrong. Also, "seems" agrees with its subject: "it seems", "they seem" — watch the third-person -s and never add "to be" twice.

Hint

seems to + verb / seems to have + participle. For plural: seem to.

Practice

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is correct?

Fill in the Blank

He seems know everyone at the party.

Hint: seems + to + base verb.

Find the Error

Click on the incorrect word:

Sentence Transformation

Original

My impression is that the email was deleted.

Task: Rewrite with 'seems to have'

Hint: subject + seems to have + participle.

Practice Speaking

Apply what you've learned in a real conversation with AI feedback.

Level: C1

Learning Objectives