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fluentbyear

ENGLISH VERB

sound

to sound, to seem

  • Regular verb
  • Gerund: sounding
  • Past participle: sounded

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Simple present · now, habits and facts

  1. I I sound
  2. you you sound
  3. he, she, it he sounds
  4. we we sound
  5. they they sound

Past

Simple past · finished actions

  1. I I sounded
  2. you you sounded
  3. he, she, it he sounded
  4. we we sound
  5. they they sounded

Future

Future · “will”

  1. I I will sound
  2. you you will sound
  3. he, she, it he will sound
  4. we we will sound
  5. they they will sound

Present continuous

Present continuous · happening right now

  1. I I am sounding
  2. you you are sounding
  3. he, she, it he is sounding
  4. we we are sounding
  5. they they are sounding

Present perfect

Present perfect · “have done”

  1. I I have already sounded
  2. you you have already sounded
  3. he, she, it he has already sounded
  4. we we have already sounded
  5. they they have already sounded

Conditional

Conditional · “would”

  1. I I would sound
  2. you you would sound
  3. he, she, it he would sound
  4. we we would sound
  5. they they would sound

Imperative

Imperative · requests and orders

  1. sound!

How to use sound

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    That sounds like a wonderful plan.

    That sounds like a wonderful plan.

  2. Past

    You sounded upset on the phone last night.

    You sounded upset on the phone last night.

  3. Future

    It will sound strange, but hear me out.

    It may sound strange, but hear me out.

  4. Present continuous

    The engine is sounding weird again.

    The engine is making a strange noise again.

  5. Present perfect

    He has sounded happier since the move.

    He sounds happier since the move.

  6. Conditional

    That would sound rude in Portuguese.

    That would sound rude in Portuguese.

  7. Imperative

    Sound confident, even if you're nervous.

    Appear confident, even if you're nervous.

Good to know

  • "Sound" means "to seem" based on what is heard; for what is seen use "look": "you sound tired", "you look tired".
  • "That sounds good" means "sounds great", "it's a deal".

Where you hear sound

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

English for Brazilians · Intermediate Level 2

  • That sounds like a great idea. That sounds like a great idea.
  • Your voice sounded different on the call. Your voice sounded different on the call.
  • It'll sound better with some context. It'll sound better with some context.

English for Brazilians · Intermediate Level 3

  • Ana, it sounds like a wedding. Ana, it sounds like a wedding invitation.
  • Omar sounded defensive. Omar sounded defensive.
  • A long invitation will sound too formal. A long invitation will sound too formal.
10
Not everyone calls it that

Intermediate Level 2 · sounds like

Needs a subscription 12
I Understood Something Different

Intermediate Level 2 · sound like that

Needs a subscription 17
The Headline Doesn't Tell the Whole Story

Intermediate Level 2 · sounds more certain

Needs a subscription 10
A legitimate complaint

Intermediate Level 3 · he sounded defensive · sound fair

Needs a subscription 11
I Didn't Mean That

Intermediate Level 3 · how it sounded

Needs a subscription 6
Did she say that, or was it just an impression?

Advanced Level 1 · sounds like her

Needs a subscription 18
I Heard Two Possible Words

Advanced Level 1 · sound like

Needs a subscription 23
A sentence out of place

Advanced Level 1 · it sounds as though

Needs a subscription 30
The room that could welcome more

Advanced Level 1 · than it sounds

Needs a subscription 5
Numbers say how much, not why

Advanced Level 2 · That's a bigger question than it sounds. They had their reasons.

Needs a subscription 11
The strongest argument against

Advanced Level 2 · Careful. That sounds a bit loaded. Describe, don't judge.

Needs a subscription 1
The Request Seems Simple

Advanced Level 3 · That sounds simple. It isn't.

Free

And 6 more lessons.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular verb.