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FRENCH VERB

se calmer

to calm down

  • #194 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: calmé
  • Present participle: se calmant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use se calmer

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

  1. Present

    Le bébé se calme dès qu'on le prend dans les bras.

    The baby calms down as soon as you pick him up.

  2. Past

    Le vent s'est calmé en fin d'après-midi.

    The wind died down late in the afternoon.

  3. Imperfect

    Il se calmait toujours en écoutant de la musique.

    He always calmed down listening to music.

  4. Future

    Ne t'inquiète pas, elle se calmera toute seule.

    Don't worry, she'll calm down on her own.

  5. Conditional

    Tu te calmerais plus vite en sortant marcher un peu.

    You'd calm down faster by going out for a walk.

  6. Present subjunctive

    On attend que la pluie se calme pour sortir.

    We're waiting for the rain to ease off before going out.

  7. Imperative

    Calme-toi, ce n'est pas si grave.

    Calm down, it's not that serious.

Good to know

  • Calme-toi is calm down; ça va se calmer is it'll settle down (the wind, the pain, a baby).

Where you hear se calmer

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

French · Beginner Level 3

  • Je respire, et je me calme. I breathe, and I calm down.
  • Je me suis calmée. I calmed down.
  • Ça va se calmer. It's going to calm down.
6
The Driving Lesson

Beginner Level 3 · Calmez-vous. · calme-toi

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Verbs like this one

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