Paraître


The verb “paraître” means “to appear” or “to seem” in English. It is commonly used to describe how something appears or seems to be.

Conjugation in the Present Tense

  • Je parais (I appear/seem)
  • Tu parais (You appear/seem)
  • Il/Elle/On paraît (He/She/One appears/seems)
  • Nous paraissons (We appear/seem)
  • Vous paraissez (You appear/seem)
  • Ils/Elles paraissent (They appear/seem)

Examples

  1. Elle paraît heureuse.
  • She seems happy.
  1. Cela paraît impossible.
  • That seems impossible.
  1. Il paraît que tu as raison.
  • It appears that you are right.

Usage Tips

  • “Paraître” can be used to describe both physical appearance and how something seems to be in terms of perception.
  • It is an irregular verb, so pay attention to its unique conjugations.

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • eyes, eggs, bones

    The words for eyes, eggs and bones in French are a little unusual. They either have very different spelling between the singular and the plural, or they have very different pronunciation between the singular and the plural. See the below lists and try out the pronunciations for yourself. Eyes: Eggs: Bones:

  • to happen

    There are few different ways of translating the verb “to happen” into French. You can use the French verbs “se passer,” “arriver” or “se produire.” Let’s look at some examples of each, in order of most frequent usage. se passer arriver se produire

  • think

    There are a few different ways to say “to think” in French. You can use verbs like “penser,” “songer,” “réfléchir,” “croire,” or “considérer.” penser Penser means “to think.” It is related to the English word “pensive,” someone who is thoughtful or in deep thought. It can be used with “à” to mean “to have in…

  • Verb: Entretenir

    The French verb “entretenir” is derived from the Latin word “intratenere,” which means “to keep up,” “maintain,” or “nourish.” “Entretenir” has a range of meanings. Basic Definition and Conjugation The verb “entretenir” can be translated into English as “to maintain,” “to sustain,” “to keep,” or “to nourish.” It is a regular -ir verb and follows…

  • -fy becomes -fier in French

    English has many verbs that end in “fy,” like certify, simplify, and justify, and they almost all come from French. The French versions end in “fier” instead, so certify becomes certifier, simplify becomes simplifier, and justify becomes justifier. The pattern is simple for most of them: you just change the ending “fy” to “fier.” These…

  • to postpone

    The English verb to postpone can be translated into French in several ways, depending on the formality, context, and the nature of what is being delayed. The most common French equivalents include reporter, remettre, repousser, décaler, ajourner, and différer. Some of these verbs are close synonyms, but their usage can differ based on the setting…