Calculer Conjugation in French
calculer means “to calculate” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of calculer — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Je calcule le prix total.” — “I calculate the total price.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: French spelling and endings change with the person and the tense, and calculer is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: calculer
- English: to calculate
- Verb type: Regular -er verb
- Irregular in: — (regular in every tense)
- Gerund: en calculant
- Past participle: calculé
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for calculer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for calculer. Learn the present tense first, then the passé composé and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | calcule |
| tu | calcules |
| il/elle | calcule |
| nous | calculons |
| vous | calculez |
| ils/elles | calculent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | calculai |
| tu | calculas |
| il/elle | calcula |
| nous | calculâmes |
| vous | calculâtes |
| ils/elles | calculèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | calculais |
| tu | calculais |
| il/elle | calculait |
| nous | calculions |
| vous | calculiez |
| ils/elles | calculaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | calculerai |
| tu | calculeras |
| il/elle | calculera |
| nous | calculerons |
| vous | calculerez |
| ils/elles | calculeront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | calculerais |
| tu | calculerais |
| il/elle | calculerait |
| nous | calculerions |
| vous | calculeriez |
| ils/elles | calculeraient |
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai calculé |
| tu | as calculé |
| il/elle | a calculé |
| nous | avons calculé |
| vous | avez calculé |
| ils/elles | ont calculé |
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais calculé |
| tu | avais calculé |
| il/elle | avait calculé |
| nous | avions calculé |
| vous | aviez calculé |
| ils/elles | avaient calculé |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai calculé |
| tu | auras calculé |
| il/elle | aura calculé |
| nous | aurons calculé |
| vous | aurez calculé |
| ils/elles | auront calculé |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais calculé |
| tu | aurais calculé |
| il/elle | aurait calculé |
| nous | aurions calculé |
| vous | auriez calculé |
| ils/elles | auraient calculé |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | calcule |
| tu | calcules |
| il/elle | calcule |
| nous | calculions |
| vous | calculiez |
| ils/elles | calculent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | calculasse |
| tu | calculasses |
| il/elle | calculât |
| nous | calculassions |
| vous | calculassiez |
| ils/elles | calculassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | calcule |
| nous | calculons |
| vous | calculez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | calcule |
| nous | calculons |
| vous | calculez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en calculant |
| Past participle | calculé |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Je calcule le prix total.” — “I calculate the total price.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “Tu calculas le prix total.” — “You calculated the total price one day.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Il calculait le prix total quand j’étais jeune.” — “He used to calculate the total price.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Nous calculerons le prix total.” — “We will calculate the total price tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Vous calculeriez le prix total.” — “You would calculate the total price if you could.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for recent past actions and completed events. With calculer it is formed with avoir + the past participle calculé. For example: “Ils ont calculé le prix total hier.” — “They have calculated the total price.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais calculé le prix total avant la fête.” — “I had calculated the total price before the party.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras calculé le prix total.” — “You will have calculated the total price by tomorrow evening.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait calculé le prix total.” — “He would have calculated the total price if he had been able to.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Il faut que je calcule le prix total.” — “It is important that I calculate the total price.”
Imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, mainly in formal writing. For example: “Il fallait que je calculasse le prix total.” — “It was important that I calculate the total price.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Calcule le prix total !” — “Calculate the total price!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Calcule le prix total !” — “Do not calculate the total price!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund is en calculant — “while calculating” — used after en to say how something happens. The past participle is calculé, used with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai calculé.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with calculer, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je calcule le prix total.” — “I calculate the total price.”
- “Tu calcules le prix total.” — “You calculate the total price.”
- “Il calculait le prix total.” — “He used to calculate the total price.”
- “Nous calculerons le prix total.” — “We will calculate the total price tomorrow.”
- “Je calculerais le prix total.” — “I would calculate the total price if I could.”
- “Tu as calculé le prix total.” — “You have calculated the total price.”
- “Il avait calculé le prix total.” — “He had calculated the total price before the party.”
- “Nous aurons calculé le prix total.” — “We will have calculated the total price by tomorrow evening.”
- “Il faut que je calcule le prix total.” — “It is important that I calculate the total price.”
- “Calcule le prix total !” — “Calculate the total price!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je calculer le prix total.”
✓ Right: “Je calcule le prix total.”
The infinitive calculer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form calcule.
2. Confusing calculer with compter
✗ Wrong: “Je calcule les pièces sur la table.” (meant as “compter”)
✓ Right: “Je calcule le prix total.”
calculer means “to calculate”; compter means “to count”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Using the wrong auxiliary for the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis calculé le prix total.”
✓ Right: “J'ai calculé le prix total.”
With calculer the passé composé is formed with avoir, not être: ai calculé.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il faut que je calcule le prix total.”
✓ Right: “Il faut que je calcule le prix total.”
After il faut que French needs the subjunctive, so use calcule here, not the indicative calcule.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Je calcule le prix total hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai calculé le prix total hier.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the passé composé (ai calculé), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the je form of calculer in the Present indicative?
- A) calculent
- B) calculons
- C) calculez
- D) calcule
What is the ils/elles form of calculer in the Present indicative?
- A) calculons
- B) calculent
- C) calculez
- D) calcules
What is the il/elle form of calculer in the Passé simple?
- A) calcula
- B) calculas
- C) calculèrent
- D) calculâmes
What is the nous form of calculer in the Imperfect?
- A) calculaient
- B) calculions
- C) calculais
- D) calculait
What is the tu form of calculer in the Future?
- A) calculerons
- B) calculeras
- C) calculerez
- D) calculerai
What is the je form of calculer in the Conditional?
- A) calculerait
- B) calculerions
- C) calculeraient
- D) calculerais
What is the il/elle form of calculer in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) a calculé
- B) ont calculé
- C) ai calculé
- D) avons calculé
What is the vous form of calculer in the Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)?
- A) avais calculé
- B) aviez calculé
- C) avaient calculé
- D) avions calculé
What is the gerund of calculer?
- A) calculerai
- B) en calculant
- C) calculé
- D) calcule
What is the past participle of calculer?
- A) calculé
- B) calculais
- C) calcule
- D) en calculant
Answer key
- D) calcule — the je form of calculer in the present indicative is calcule.
- B) calculent — the ils/elles form of calculer in the present indicative is calculent.
- A) calcula — the il/elle form of calculer in the passé simple is calcula.
- B) calculions — the nous form of calculer in the imperfect is calculions.
- B) calculeras — the tu form of calculer in the future is calculeras.
- D) calculerais — the je form of calculer in the conditional is calculerais.
- A) a calculé — the il/elle form of calculer in the present perfect (passé composé) is a calculé.
- B) aviez calculé — the vous form of calculer in the pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is aviez calculé.
- B) en calculant — the gerund of calculer is en calculant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
- A) calculé — the past participle of calculer is calculé; perfect tenses use avoir + calculé.
Frequently asked questions
What does calculer mean in English?
calculer means “to calculate”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Je calcule le prix total.” (“I calculate the total price.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is calculer regular or irregular?
calculer is regular: its endings follow the standard -er pattern in every tense. The gerund is en calculant and the past participle is calculé.
What are the gerund and past participle of calculer?
The gerund is en calculant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is calculé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai calculé.
What is the difference between calculer and compter?
calculer means “to calculate”, while compter means “to count”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for compter and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I calculate” in French?
Say “Je calcule le prix total.” — “I calculate the total price.” The je form of the present is calcule, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn calculer
Start with the present tense: calcule, calcules, calcule, calculons, calculez, calculent. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the passé composé — ai calculé — and the imperfect — calculais. Next, learn the future (calculerai) and the conditional (calculerais), which share the same stem. Finally, tackle the subjunctive (calcule) and the imperative (calcule). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the present-tense quiz.
Related pages
- calculer in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- calculer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Compter conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Pratiquer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise calculer with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise calculer with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.