Se calmer Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of se calmer — “to calm down” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for se calmer, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Je me calme après une longue journée.” — “I calm down after a long day.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for se calmer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of se calmer
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for se calmer. se calmer is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — se calmer
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | calme |
| tu | calmes |
| il/elle | calme |
| nous | calmons |
| vous | calmez |
| ils/elles | calment |
The gerund of se calmer is en calmant and the past participle is calmé. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of se calmer is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem se calm- (the infinitive se calmer without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → calme, tu → calmes, il/elle → calme, nous → calmons, vous → calmez, ils/elles → calment. So se calmer gives calme, calmes, calme, calmons, calmez, calment. se calmer is reflexive: the pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) goes before the verb — “Je me calme après une longue journée”. The tables show the bare verb form; the examples add the pronoun.
When to use the present tense of se calmer
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with se calmer: “Je me calme après une longue journée tous les jours.” — “I calm down after a long day.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with se calmer: “Tu te calmes après une longue journée en général.” — “You calm down after a long day.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with se calmer: “Il se calme après une longue journée maintenant.” — “He calms down after a long day.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with se calmer: “Nous nous calmons après une longue journée demain.” — “We calm down after a long day.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with se calmer: “Ils se calment après une longue journée souvent.” — “They calm down after a long day.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: se calmer now, se calmer later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present Tense: “Je me calme après une longue journée tous les jours.” — “I calm down after a long day.”
Future: “Je me calmerai après une longue journée demain.” — “I will calm down after a long day tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu te calmes après une longue journée maintenant.” — “You calm down after a long day.”
Future: “Tu te calmeras après une longue journée demain.” — “You will calm down after a long day tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous nous calmons après une longue journée en classe.” — “We calm down after a long day.”
Future: “Nous nous calmerons après une longue journée demain.” — “We will calm down after a long day tomorrow.”
Example sentences: se calmer in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of se calmer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je me calme après une longue journée tous les jours.” — “I calm down after a long day.”
- “Tu te calmes après une longue journée chaque matin.” — “You calm down after a long day.”
- “Il se calme après une longue journée souvent.” — “He calms down after a long day.”
- “Nous nous calmons après une longue journée maintenant.” — “We calm down after a long day.”
- “Vous vous calmez après une longue journée en général.” — “You calm down after a long day.”
- “Ils se calment après une longue journée le week-end.” — “They calm down after a long day.”
Common mistakes with se calmer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je se calmer après une longue journée.”
Right: “Je me calme après une longue journée.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form calme.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu calme après une longue journée.”
Right: “Tu te calmes après une longue journée.”
After tu you need calmes, not the je form calme. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je me calmerai après une longue journée.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je me calme après une longue journée tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (calmerai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Dropping the reflexive pronoun
Wrong: “Je calme après une longue journée.”
Right: “Je me calme après une longue journée.”
se calmer is reflexive: the pronoun is part of the verb.
Quiz: se calmer in the present tense
What is the je form of se calmer in the Present indicative?
- A) calmez
- B) calme
- C) calmes
- D) calment
What is the tu form of se calmer in the Present indicative?
- A) calme
- B) calment
- C) calmes
- D) calmez
What is the il/elle form of se calmer in the Present indicative?
- A) calment
- B) calmes
- C) calmez
- D) calme
What is the nous form of se calmer in the Present indicative?
- A) calmons
- B) calmez
- C) calment
- D) calmes
What is the vous form of se calmer in the Present indicative?
- A) calmes
- B) calmons
- C) calment
- D) calmez
What is the ils/elles form of se calmer in the Present indicative?
- A) calment
- B) calmes
- C) calme
- D) calmons
What is the gerund of se calmer?
- A) calmerai
- B) en calmant
- C) calmé
- D) calme
What does se calmer mean in English?
- A) to calm down
- B) to go
- C) to have
- D) to be
Answer key
- B) calme — the je form of se calmer in the present indicative is calme.
- C) calmes — the tu form of se calmer in the present indicative is calmes.
- D) calme — the il/elle form of se calmer in the present indicative is calme.
- A) calmons — the nous form of se calmer in the present indicative is calmons.
- D) calmez — the vous form of se calmer in the present indicative is calmez.
- A) calment — the ils/elles form of se calmer in the present indicative is calment.
- B) en calmant — the gerund of se calmer is en calmant.
- A) to calm down — se calmer means “to calm down” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of se calmer formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is calme and the ils form is calment.
When do I use the present tense of se calmer?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the present tense and the future?
The present is for what is true now or happens regularly (calme), while the future is for what will happen (calmerai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of se calmer?
On the full conjugation page for se calmer, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six present tense forms of se calmer in order, without looking: calme, calmes, calme, calmons, calmez, calment. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using calme, suis calmé and calmerai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- se calmer in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- se calmer 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.
- Se reposer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Craindre conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise se calmer with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise se calmer with the interactive tool.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise reflexive verbs with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.