Il semble que Paul soit prêt.

to be

Breakdown of Il semble que Paul soit prêt.

• Paul: Paul
• prêt: ready
• il semble que: it seems that

Questions & Answers about Il semble que Paul soit prêt.

Why is it soit and not est?

Soit is the present subjunctive form of être.

After il semble que, French often uses the subjunctive because the speaker is presenting something as an impression, appearance, or possibility rather than a confirmed fact. So Il semble que Paul soit prêt suggests Paul appears to be ready, not Paul is definitely ready.

For a learner, soit is the safest and most standard choice here.

What exactly does il semble que mean?

It means it seems that.

Literally:

• il = it
• semble = seems
• que = that

So the structure is:

Il semble que + clause
= It seems that + clause

What does il refer to here?

It does not refer to Paul or to anything specific.

This is an impersonal il, like English it in:

• It seems that...
• It is raining
• It is important that...

So il is just part of the expression il semble que.