Sembrare vs. assomigliare
While both sembrare and assomigliare can be translated as to seem or to look like, they are not interchangeable. Sembrare relates to general impressions and subjective feelings, while assomigliare is used for direct, concrete comparison and resemblance.
Sembrare
A2Sembrare means to seem, to appear, or to look like. It is used to describe a general impression, a subjective feeling, or a non-specific appearance. It can be followed by an adjective, another verb, or a noun to describe what something or someone seems like.
La tua idea mi sembra eccellente.
(Your idea seems excellent to me.)
Sembra che stia per piovere.
(It seems like it is about to rain.)
Marco sembra molto stanco oggi.
(Marco seems very tired today.)
Da lontano, quella roccia sembra un viso umano.
(From a distance, that rock looks like a human face.)
Mi sembra di aver già sentito questa canzone.
(It seems to me I have already heard this song.)
Il film sembrava più corto di quanto fosse in realtà.
(The movie seemed shorter than it actually was.)
Assomigliare
B1Assomigliare means to resemble or to look like in the sense of a direct comparison between two distinct people or things. It highlights shared characteristics, often physical ones, and is almost always followed by the preposition a (to) to introduce the object of comparison.
Lei assomiglia molto a sua madre.
(She resembles her mother a lot.)
Questo edificio assomiglia a uno che ho visto a Parigi.
(This building looks like one I saw in Paris.)
I due fratelli non si assomigliano per niente.
(The two brothers do not resemble each other at all.)
Il tuo modo di ragionare assomiglia a quello di un filosofo.
(Your way of thinking resembles that of a philosopher.)
Questa pianta assomiglia a un'orchidea, ma non lo è.
(This plant resembles an orchid, but it is not.)
Nessun altro gatto assomiglia al mio.
(No other cat looks like mine.)
Summary
In short, use sembrare for general impressions and what something seems like (e.g., He seems tired or It seems easy). Use assomigliare for direct comparisons and resemblance between two specific entities, connecting them with the preposition a (e.g., He resembles his father). Assomigliare compares X to Y, whereas sembrare simply describes how X appears on its own.