Question 1

Why does sembra just take an adjective, while pare is followed by che?

Accepted Answer

The first half uses a personal construction: il server is the subject of sembra, so the adjective reattivo directly follows and describes it. The second half uses an impersonal construction: pare che means 'it appears that', which introduces a dependent clause with its own subject (l'incompatibilità).

Question 2

Why is the verb essere in the subjunctive mood (sia) in the second half?

Accepted Answer

Impersonal expressions of appearance or opinion, like pare che and sembra che, introduce an element of uncertainty or subjectivity. In Italian, this triggers the subjunctive mood in the following clause, which is why we use sia instead of the indicative è.

Question 3

Are sembrare and parere perfectly interchangeable in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, they mean the exact same thing and can both be used personally or impersonally. You could perfectly well say Il server pare reattivo, ma sembra che... The author likely used one of each simply to avoid repeating the same verb twice in one sentence.

Question 4

If the subject was plural, how would the first half of the sentence change?

Accepted Answer

In a personal construction, the verb and the adjective must agree with the subject. Because server is a foreign loanword, its spelling does not change in the plural, but the article, verb, and adjective would: I server sembrano reattivi.

Il server sembra reattivo, ma pare che l'incompatibilità sia grave.

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