looks like, seems about to

Attached to a verb stem or adjective stem, そうだ gives an impression based on what you see: it looks tasty, it is about to rain. いい becomes よさそう and the negative is なさそう. It cannot be used for things whose appearance is already obvious, like colors.

Examples

• このケーキはおいしそうですね。

  Kono keeki wa oishisou desu ne.

  This cake looks delicious.

• 雨あめが降ふりそうです。

  Ame ga furisou desu.

  It looks like it is about to rain.

Vocabulary in these examples

• この this (+ noun)
• ケーキ cake
• 雨 rain
• 降る to fall (rain, snow)

Related patterns · Appearance, hearsay, and conjecture

• 〜そうだ（伝聞） I heard that, they say that
• 〜ようだ it seems that, it appears that
• 〜らしい apparently, it seems (based on what one heard)
• 〜みたいだ seems like, looks like, is like
• 〜がる / 〜がっている to show signs of (another person's feeling)
• 〜かもしれない might, may, possibly