Breakdown of Paul semble tendu avant l’entretien.
Paul
Paul
avant
before
sembler
to seem
l'entretien
the interview
Questions & Answers about Paul semble tendu avant l’entretien.
Why does the sentence use semble instead of est?
Semble comes from sembler, which means to seem or to appear.
So Paul semble tendu means that Paul looks tense, or gives the impression of being tense. It does not state with complete certainty that he is tense in an absolute way.
Compare:
- Paul est tendu = Paul is tense.
- Paul semble tendu = Paul seems tense.
For an English speaker, this is the same difference as is vs seems.
Why is it tendu and not tendue?
Because Paul is masculine singular, the adjective has to agree with him.
French adjectives usually agree in gender and number with the noun or subject they describe:
- masculine singular: tendu
- feminine singular: tendue
- masculine plural: tendus
- feminine plural: tendues
So:
- Paul semble tendu.
- Marie semble tendue.
- Paul et Marc semblent tendus.
Why is there l’ before entretien?