Calmarse Conjugation in Spanish
calmarse means "to calm down" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about calming down — after anger, stress, fear or excitement, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of calmarse in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Calmarse is a reflexive -ar verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: Yo me calmo con música. — "I calm down with music.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: calmarse
- English: to calm down
- Verb type: Reflexive -ar verb
- Gerund: calmando
- Past participle: calmado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + calmado)
- Reflexive: yes — always use it with the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nos, os, se.
Full conjugation table
Every tense of calmarse with all six persons. The gerund is calmando and the past participle is calmado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | calmo |
| tú | calmas |
| él/ella/Ud. | calma |
| nosotros/as | calmamos |
| vosotros/as | calmáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | calman |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | calmé |
| tú | calmaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | calmó |
| nosotros/as | calmamos |
| vosotros/as | calmasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | calmaron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | calmaba |
| tú | calmabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | calmaba |
| nosotros/as | calmábamos |
| vosotros/as | calmabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | calmaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | calmaré |
| tú | calmarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | calmará |
| nosotros/as | calmaremos |
| vosotros/as | calmaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | calmarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | calmaría |
| tú | calmarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | calmaría |
| nosotros/as | calmaríamos |
| vosotros/as | calmaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | calmarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he calmado |
| tú | has calmado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha calmado |
| nosotros/as | hemos calmado |
| vosotros/as | habéis calmado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han calmado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había calmado |
| tú | habías calmado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había calmado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos calmado |
| vosotros/as | habíais calmado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían calmado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré calmado |
| tú | habrás calmado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá calmado |
| nosotros/as | habremos calmado |
| vosotros/as | habréis calmado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán calmado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría calmado |
| tú | habrías calmado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría calmado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos calmado |
| vosotros/as | habríais calmado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían calmado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | calme |
| tú | calmes |
| él/ella/Ud. | calme |
| nosotros/as | calmemos |
| vosotros/as | calméis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | calmen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | calmara |
| tú | calmaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | calmara |
| nosotros/as | calmáramos |
| vosotros/as | calmarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | calmaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | calma |
| él/ella/Ud. | calme |
| nosotros/as | calmemos |
| vosotros/as | calmad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | calmen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | calmes |
| él/ella/Ud. | calme |
| nosotros/as | calmemos |
| vosotros/as | calméis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | calmen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | calmando |
| Past participle | calmado |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with calmarse, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo me calmo con música.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Ayer yo me calmé con música.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: En aquella época, yo me calmaba con música.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Mañana yo me calmaré con música.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo me calmaría con música si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo ya me he calmado con música.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo ya me había calmado con música antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Para mañana yo ya me habré calmado con música.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo me habría calmado con música si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Espero que él se calme con música.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Si él se calmara con música, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
In affirmative commands the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of the verb. The table above gives the verb part of the command; add the pronoun (te, se, nos, os) after it.
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: No te calmes con música.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with calmarse, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- Yo me calmo con música. — "I calm down with music."
- ¿Tú te calmas con música? — "Do you calm down with music?"
- Ayer me calmé con música. — "Yesterday I calmed down with music."
- Ella se calmaba con música cada día. — "She used to calm down with music every day."
- Mañana yo me calmaré con música. — "Tomorrow I will calm down with music."
- Yo me calmaría con música si pudiera. — "I would calm down with music if I could."
- Ya me he calmado con música. — "I have already calmed down with music."
- Espero que te calmes con música. — "I hope you calm down with music."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with calmarse — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo calmo con música — the pronoun is often forgotten. → Right: Yo me calmo con música.. Calmarse is reflexive: me calmo, te calmas, se calma. Without the pronoun, calmar means to calm someone else: La música me calma.
- Wrong: *Estoy calmado con música — learners sometimes write estoy calmando to say "I am calm". → Right: Estoy calmado con música.. The participle calmado works as an adjective: Estoy calmado means "I am calm". Estoy calmando would mean "I am calming (someone)", which is different. Note that tranquilo is the more common word for calm.
- Wrong: *Me calmé con música — the accent is often dropped: me calme. → Right: Me calmé con música.. The preterite yo form is me calmé, with an accent on the final e. The pronoun goes before the verb: me calmé, te calmaste, se calmó.
- Wrong: *No te calmas con música — learners sometimes use the indicative calmas in a negative command. → Right: No te calmes con música.. Negative commands use the subjunctive: No te calmes, not No te calmas.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on calmarse. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of calmarse in the present indicative?
- a) calmamos
- b) calmas
- c) calma
- d) calmo
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of calmarse in the preterite (past)?
- a) calmamos
- b) calmaste
- c) calmé
- d) calmó
What is the nosotros/as form of calmarse in the imperfect (past)?
- a) calmábamos
- b) calmaba
- c) calmaba
- d) calmabas
What is the tú form of calmarse in the future?
- a) calmaré
- b) calmaremos
- c) calmarás
- d) calmará
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of calmarse in the conditional?
- a) calmarías
- b) calmaría
- c) calmarían
- d) calmaría
What is the yo form of calmarse in the present subjunctive?
- a) calme
- b) calme
- c) calmes
- d) calmemos
What is the gerund of calmarse?
- a) calmado
- b) calmando
- c) calma
- d) calmarse
What is the past participle of calmarse?
- a) calmo
- b) he calmado
- c) calmando
- d) calmado
What does calmarse mean in English?
- a) to spend (money)
- b) to destroy
- c) to calm down
- d) to be born
The form calmé belongs to which tense?
- a) Preterite
- b) Imperfect
- c) Future
- d) Present
Answer key
- calmo — The yo form in the present indicative is calmo — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- calmó — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is calmó — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- calmábamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is calmábamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- calmarás — The tú form in the future is calmarás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- calmarían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is calmarían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- calme — The yo form in the present subjunctive is calme — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- calmando — The gerund is calmando — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy calmando). The past participle is calmado.
- calmado — The past participle is calmado — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he calmado).
- to calm down — calmarse means "to calm down".
- Preterite — calmé is the yo form of the preterite of calmarse — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is calmaba.
Frequently asked questions
Is calmarse reflexive?
Yes. Calmarse always takes a reflexive pronoun: me calmo, te calmas, se calma, nos calmamos, os calmáis, se calman. The non-reflexive calmar means to calm someone else: La música me calma.
What is the difference between calmarse and tranquilizarse?
They are close synonyms, both meaning to calm down. Tranquilizarse is slightly more common in everyday speech (Tranquilízate, cálmate), while calmarse is also correct and common. Use either one.
How do you say "Calm down" in Spanish?
Cálmate — the affirmative command of calmarse, with the pronoun attached. Or Tranquilízate. For the negative, say No te calmes or No te pongas nervioso.
Does calmarse take a preposition?
Yes, con for the means (Me calmo con música) and de for the cause (Me calmo del susto). Both are common.
Related pages
- Calmarse in the present tense — the present tense of calmarse in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Calmarse examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with calmarse and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Calmar conjugation — another verb in the same family as calmarse.
- Relajarse conjugation — another verb in the same family as calmarse.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise calmarse with this tool.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise calmarse with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.