Calmer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

calmer — to calm — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a non-reflexive, regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find calmer in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the calmer conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the calmer present tense page.

Example sentences with calmer

In the present tense

  • “Je calme Marie tous les jours.” — “I calm Marie every day.”
  • “Tu calmes Marie à la maison.” — “You calm Marie at home.”
  • “Il calme Marie ce matin.” — “He calms Marie this morning.”
  • “Nous calmons Marie avec Paul.” — “We calm Marie with Paul.”
  • “Vous calmez Marie.” — “You calm Marie.”
  • “Ils calment Marie tous les jours.” — “They calm Marie every day.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai calmé Marie hier.” — “I have calmed Marie yesterday.”
  • “Tu as calmé Marie la semaine dernière.” — “You have calmed Marie last week.”
  • “Il a calmé Marie ce matin.” — “He has calmed Marie this morning.”
  • “Nous avons calmé Marie avant la fête.” — “We have calmed Marie before the party.”
  • “Vous avez calmé Marie.” — “You have calmed Marie.”
  • “Ils ont calmé Marie hier.” — “They have calmed Marie yesterday.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Je calmais Marie à la maison.” — “I used to calm Marie at home.”
  • “Tu calmeras Marie bientôt.” — “You will calm Marie soon.”
  • “Il calmerait Marie avec Paul.” — “He would calm Marie with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous calmions Marie tous les jours.” — “It is important that We calm Marie every day.”
  • “Calme Marie !” — “Calm Marie!”

Calmer in context

Je calme Marie tous les jours. Tu calmes Marie à la maison. Il calme Marie ce matin. Nous calmons Marie avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de calmer est la première forme qu’il convient d’apprendre. Chaque phrase utilise une personne différente, alors lisez-les à voix haute et remarquez comment la forme change — calme, calmes, calme, calmons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to calm. J'ai calmé Marie hier. Tu as calmé Marie la semaine dernière. Il a calmé Marie ce matin. Nous avons calmé Marie avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de calmer apparaît sans cesse : une action terminée, un moment précis, et l’histoire continue. Comparez ces phrases avec celles du présent ci-dessus : le verbe change de temps, mais le sens de base — to calm — ne change pas. C’est la différence entre une habitude et un événement terminé.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je calmer Marie.”

✓ Right: “Je calme Marie tous les jours.”

The infinitive calmer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form calme.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je calmes Marie.”

✓ Right: “Je calme Marie tous les jours.”

calmes is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is calme — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Je calme Marie hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai calmé Marie hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai calmé here, not the present calme.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je calmons Marie.”

✓ Right: “Je calme Marie tous les jours.”

calmons is the nous form. The je form is calme — the two persons never share a form in the present of calmer.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on calmer across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of calmer in the Present indicative?

    • A) calmes
    • B) auras calmé
    • C) calmez
    • D) as calmé

  2. What is the je form of calmer in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) ont calmé
    • B) avais calmé
    • C) calmasse
    • D) ai calmé

  3. What is the il/elle form of calmer in the Imperfect?

    • A) calme
    • B) calmais
    • C) calmions
    • D) calmait

  4. What is the nous form of calmer in the Future?

    • A) calmerons
    • B) avions calmé
    • C) calmeras
    • D) calmions

  5. What is the tu form of calmer in the Conditional?

    • A) calmerais
    • B) avais calmé
    • C) calmes
    • D) aurais calmé

  6. What is the je form of calmer in the Passé simple?

    • A) avais calmé
    • B) calmai
    • C) calmâmes
    • D) calmerai

  7. What is the nous form of calmer in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) calmions
    • B) aurions calmé
    • C) calme
    • D) calmons

  8. What is the gerund of calmer?

    • A) en calmant
    • B) causant
    • C) accompagnant
    • D) contrôlant

  9. What is the past participle of calmer?

    • A) éteint
    • B) calmé
    • C) commenté
    • D) arrangé

  10. What does calmer mean in English?

  • A) conclude
  • B) load
  • C) paint
  • D) calm

Answer key

  1. A) calmes — the tu form of calmer in the present indicative is calmes. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. D) ai calmé — the je form of calmer in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai calmé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. D) calmait — the il/elle form of calmer in the imperfect is calmait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. A) calmerons — the nous form of calmer in the future is calmerons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) calmerais — the tu form of calmer in the conditional is calmerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. B) calmai — the je form of calmer in the passé simple is calmai. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. A) calmions — the nous form of calmer in the present subjunctive is calmions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. A) en calmant — the gerund of calmer is en calmant; it is used with en for actions happening at the same time as the main verb. The other options are the present participles of neighbouring verbs.
  9. B) calmé — the past participle of calmer is calmé; perfect tenses use avoir + calmé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. D) calm — calmer means “to calm” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does calmer mean in English?

calmer means “to calm”. You use it whenever you talk about to calm in French, in the present, the past and the future.

Is calmer regular or irregular?

calmer is regular. calmer is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict.

What are the gerund and past participle of calmer?

The gerund is en calmant and the past participle is calmé. The perfect tenses use avoir + calmé.

Where can I see the full conjugation of calmer?

On the calmer conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The calmer present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for calmer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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