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FRENCH VERB

caler

to stall

  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: calé
  • Present participle: calant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I stall
  2. tu you stall
  3. il, elle, on he/she stalls
  4. nous we stall
  5. vous you stall
  6. ils, elles they stall

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I stalled
  2. tu you stalled
  3. il, elle, on he/she stalled
  4. nous we stalled
  5. vous you stalled
  6. ils, elles they stalled

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to stall
  2. tu you used to stall
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to stall
  4. nous we used to stall
  5. vous you used to stall
  6. ils, elles they used to stall

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will stall
  2. tu you will stall
  3. il, elle, on he/she will stall
  4. nous we will stall
  5. vous you will stall
  6. ils, elles they will stall

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would stall
  2. tu you would stall
  3. il, elle, on he/she would stall
  4. nous we would stall
  5. vous you would stall
  6. ils, elles they would stall

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I stall
  2. tu (that) you stall
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she stall
  4. nous (that) we stall
  5. vous (that) you stall
  6. ils, elles (that) they stall

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu stall!
  2. nous stall! (let’s)
  3. vous stall! (plural, or formal)

How to use caler

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

  1. Present

    Je cale toujours en démarrant en côte.

    I always stall when starting on a hill.

  2. Past

    La voiture a calé en plein carrefour, la honte !

    The car stalled right in the middle of the junction, how embarrassing!

  3. Imperfect

    Ma première voiture calait tous les deux feux rouges.

    My first car stalled at every other red light.

  4. Future

    Tu caleras moins si tu lâches l'embrayage doucement.

    You'll stall less if you release the clutch gently.

  5. Conditional

    Je calerais sûrement avec une boîte manuelle.

    I'd surely stall with a manual gearbox.

  6. Present subjunctive

    J'ai peur que le moteur cale dans la montée.

    I'm afraid the engine will stall on the climb.

  7. Imperative

    Cale la porte avec le carton, elle claque.

    Wedge the door with the box, it's banging.

Good to know

  • The car stalls : j'ai calé au feu. Je cale also means I'm full, I can't eat any more.
  • Caler is also to wedge : cale la porte avec une chaise.

Where you hear caler

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

French · Intermediate Level 2

  • Je cale à chaque feu rouge ! I stall at every red light!
  • J'ai calé deux fois sur les pentes. I stalled twice on the slopes.
  • Avec cette côte, tu vas caler ! With this hill, you're going to stall!
14
Ask for Help in a Driving Lesson

Intermediate Level 2 · Vous avez calé.

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Explain a Misunderstanding

Intermediate Level 2 · Tu as calé !

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.