This means something 'looks like' or 'seems' a certain way. You use it when you see something and make a guess about it.
Verb [stem] + そうだPrimary
い-Adjective [stem] + そうだPrimary
な-Adjective + そうだPrimary
This means something 'looks like' or 'seems' a certain way. You use it when you see something and make a guess about it.
空が暗くなってきた。今にも雨が降りそうだ。
The sky has gotten dark. It looks like it's going to rain any minute.
昨日のパーティーはとても楽しそうでしたね。
Yesterday's party looked very fun, didn't it?
彼は最近忙しいらしく、あまり元気ではなさそうです。
He seems to be busy recently and doesn't look very well.
子供たちがとても楽しそうに公園で遊んでいる。
The children are playing in the park, looking very happy.
彼女は何か言いたそうな顔でこちらを見ていた。
She was looking this way with a face that looked like she wanted to say something.
You can use 〜そうだ with nouns. It becomes 〜そうな. This is like saying 'looks like a [noun]'. You can use 〜そうだ with verbs. It becomes 〜そうに. This is like saying 'looks like [verb]-ing'.
This is different from another "sou da" that means "I heard". This "sou da" uses what you see or feel right now. The other "sou da" tells you what someone else said. "You da" and "rashii" also mean "seems". But "sou da" is for what you see right away. "You da" is a more careful guess. "Rashii" is for things you heard or read.
Watch out: The word "good" (いい) changes in a special way. It becomes よさそうだ, not いそうだ. Also, when you say something "does not look like" something, you change the final い to さ. For example, "does not look well" is 元気じゃなさそうだ. "Does not look delicious" is 美味しくなさそうだ. If you say 元気じゃないそうだ, it means "I heard they are not well."
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