Breakdown of Il semble que le résultat soit ambigu.
être
to be
il
it (impersonal subject)
que
that (introducing a clause)
le résultat
the result
sembler
to seem
ambigu
ambiguous
Questions & Answers about Il semble que le résultat soit ambigu.
Why is soit in the subjunctive here?
The phrase il semble que expresses a general uncertainty or subjectivity, which triggers the subjunctive mood. This is the main contrast taught in this lesson: if you change it to il me semble que, you would use the indicative est because adding the pronoun makes it a statement of your personal opinion or belief rather than a general doubt.
What is the feminine form of ambigu if I wanted to say that the answer (la réponse) is ambiguous?
The feminine form is ambiguë (or ambigüe with the updated spelling reform). You must add the two dots, called a trema, to indicate that the letter 'u' is still pronounced. Without the dots, the 'ue' would just make the 'g' hard and silent at the end, like in the word fatigue. So you would write: Il semble que la réponse soit ambiguë.
Is it ever acceptable to use the indicative (est) after il semble que?
In standard and written French, no. The rule strictly dictates the subjunctive for il semble que. However, in everyday spoken French, you might sometimes hear native speakers use the indicative if they feel very certain about the fact, treating it almost like il paraît que (it appears that). As a learner, you should stick to the subjunctive soit here to be grammatically correct.
How do these rules apply if the sentence is negative (il ne semble pas que)?
If you say il ne semble pas que, it expresses even stronger doubt, so it still takes the subjunctive: Il ne semble pas que le résultat soit ambigu. Interestingly, if you make the personal version negative (il ne me semble pas que), it crosses the line from a personal belief into doubt, so it switches from the indicative to the subjunctive!
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