must seems

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "must seems" is not correct in English.
Did you mean "must seem"? You can use "must seem" when expressing a strong belief or assumption about how something appears to others. Example: "To those who don't know me well, I must seem very reserved."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Sorting through these masks to reach the mark that every direct action campaign must seems to be the task at hand.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

"This must seem strange.

The New Yorker

So it must seem.

The New York Times

I must seem arrogant.

The New York Times

This must seem inexplicable".

The Guardian

It must seem a strange scene.

The New Yorker

Wigan must seem a long way away.

The Guardian - Sport

It must seem very strange to them.

The Guardian - Film

To other countries, that must seem hypocritical.

The New York Times

It must seem like such fun.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Their anxieties must seem remote to India's elderly politicians.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the correct form "must seem" instead of "must seems". Remember that "must" is a modal verb, and it's followed by the base form of the verb.

Common error

Avoid using "must seems" due to the grammatical error of using the third-person singular form of the verb after the modal verb "must". Always use the base form: "must seem".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "must seems" is intended to function as a modal verb followed by a linking verb, expressing an inference or appearance. However, it fails grammatically because "must" requires the base form of the verb. Ludwig AI highlights this error, suggesting the correct form is "must seem".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "must seems" is grammatically incorrect; the correct form is "must seem". As Ludwig AI explains, modal verbs like "must" should always be followed by the base form of the verb. While some examples may exist in published text, these are likely errors. Use "must seem" or alternatives like "appears to be" and "seems to be" to accurately express inference or appearance.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

must seem

Corrects the grammatical error by using the base form of the verb after "must".

appears to be

Replaces "must seems" with a more formal and precise expression of appearance.

seems to be

Similar to "appears to be", but slightly less formal.

has to be

Expresses a necessity or strong likelihood, instead of appearance.

is likely to be

Indicates a high probability or expectation.

must be

Expresses a strong inference or conclusion.

could be

Suggests a possibility, which is a weaker assertion than "must seems".

may be

Similar to "could be", indicating a possibility.

might be

Another way to suggest a possibility.

would seem

Conveys a sense of tentative conclusion based on available information.

FAQs

What is the correct way to use "must" with another verb?

When using the modal verb "must", always follow it with the base form of the verb. For example, use "must seem" instead of "must seems".

What can I say instead of "must seems"?

Since "must seems" is grammatically incorrect, you can use alternatives such as "must seem", "appears to be", or "seems to be" depending on the intended meaning.

Is "must seem" or "must seems" grammatically correct?

"Must seem" is grammatically correct. "Must seems" is incorrect because modal verbs like "must" are always followed by the base form of the verb.

How do I use "must seem" in a sentence?

You can use "must seem" to express a strong inference or assumption about how something appears to others. For example: "To those who don't know me well, I must seem very reserved."