看来 for “It Seems” and “Looks Like”

Muster

fact / clue，看来 + conclusion

看来 turns what you see or hear into a guess or conclusion: “so it seems ….”

门关着，灯也没开，看来家里没人。

When to use 看来 for “It Seems” and “Looks Like”

看来 (kàn lái) means “it seems” or “it looks like.” The speaker notices a fact or clue and draws a conclusion from it, so 看来 usually comes after the clue, at the start of the second clause: 门关着，灯也没开，看来家里没人 “The door is shut and the lights are off, so it looks like nobody is home.” The conclusion can be about now, the past or the future: 看来要下雨了. 看来 can also come after the subject: 他看来不太高兴.

天阴了，看来要下雨了。

The sky has clouded over; looks like it’s going to rain.

大家都笑了，看来这个办法不错。

Everyone laughed, so this idea seems to work.

电话没人接，看来他已经睡了。

Nobody is answering the phone; he must have gone to bed already.

看来今天去不了公园了。

It looks like we can’t go to the park today.

Häufige Stolperfallen

看来 needs a clue before it or in the context; it is not a general “I think.” For your own opinion, say 我觉得 or 在我看来.
Don’t use 看见 or 看到 for “it seems”; they mean “to see.”
For how something looks, use 看起来: 这个苹果看起来很新鲜.

Gezielte Übung

Übe genau dieses Muster, bevor du weitermachst.

天阴了，要下雨了

The sky has clouded over; looks like it’s going to rain

kàn lái

Bedeutungen

it seems; it looks like (judging from the facts)

Tippe den fehlenden Text, dann drücke Enter

When to use 看来 for “It Seems” and “Looks Like”

Häufige Stolperfallen

Gezielte Übung

Behalte dieses Muster im Training.