Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb calmer

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The English translation of the French verb calmer is “to calm.” It is pronounced as “kal-may” in the infinitive form.

The origin of calmer can be traced back to the Latin word “calmāre,” meaning “to soothe or make calm.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has remained a common verb ever since.

In everyday French, calmer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais calmé la situation. (If I had known, I would have calmed the situation.)
  2. Il m’aurait calmé si j’avais été plus gentil. (He would have calmed me down if I had been nicer.)
  3. Elle aurait calmé la colère de son mari si elle avait parlé avec lui. (She would have calmed her husband’s anger if she had talked to him.)

In these examples, calmer is used to express the action of calming or soothing a situation, someone’s emotions, or a person themselves. It is often used in conditional statements, where the use of the Conditionnel Passé tense implies that the action did not actually happen because the condition was not fulfilled.

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of calmer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais calmé Si tu m’avais écouté, je t’aurais calmé. If you had listened to me, I would have calmed you down.
tu aurais calmé Tu aurais calmé la situation. You would have calmed the situation down.
il aurait calmé Il aurait calmé le bébé. He would have calmed the baby down.
elle aurait calmé Elle aurait calmé la foule. She would have calmed the crowd down.
on aurait calmé On aurait calmé les tensions. One would have calmed the tensions down.
nous aurions calmé Nous aurions calmé nos nerfs. We would have calmed our nerves down.
vous auriez calmé Vous auriez calmé l’atmosphère. You would have calmed the atmosphere down.
ils auraient calmé Ils auraient calmé la situation. They would have calmed the situation down.
elles auraient calmé Elles auraient calmé leurs enfants. They (female) would have calmed their children down.

Other Conjugations for Calmer.

    

    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb calmer
     

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer
     

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer
     

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer
     

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer
     

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer
     

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer
     

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer
     

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer
     

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer
     

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer  (this article)

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calmer


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Calmer – About the French Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Passé” is a compound tense used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

Start with the conditional of the auxiliary verb: For most verbs, use “aurais” (for “avoir”) or “serais” (for “être”) as the conditional form. 

With “avoir”: j’aurais, tu aurais, il/elle/on aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils/elles auraient. 
With “être”: je serais, tu serais, il/elle/on serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils/elles seraient. 

Add the past participle of the main verb to this conditional form. 
For example, if you want to say “I would have done,” you would use “j’aurais fait.” If you want to say “She would have gone,” you would use “elle serait allée.”

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Unreal Past Scenarios

The Conditionnel Passé is often used to talk about actions that did not happen in the past, but you are speculating about what would have occurred if they had. It’s a way to discuss hypothetical situations in the past. 

Si j’avais su, je t’aurais aidé. (If I had known, I would have helped you.)
Il serait venu s’il avait eu le temps. (He would have come if he had had the time.) 

Polite Requests or Suggestions

It can be used to make polite requests or suggestions in the past. 

Pourriez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you have helped me, please?) 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

It can convey doubt or uncertainty regarding past events.

Il aurait peut-être oublié notre rendez-vous. (He might have forgotten our appointment.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Conditional Present

You can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional present to describe past actions that were hypothetical at the time they were spoken about. J’aurais aimé que tu m’appelles hier. (I would have liked you to call me yesterday.) 

Indicative Past Tenses

You might use the Conditionnel Passé alongside indicative past tenses like the passé composé to contrast hypothetical and real past events. Il est venu hier, mais s’il avait pu, il serait venu la semaine dernière. (He came yesterday, but if he could have, he would have come last week.) 

Conditional Future

In some cases, you can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional future to discuss unreal past events that could have consequences in the future. Si j’avais réussi mon examen, j’aurais un meilleur travail. (If I had passed my exam, I would have a better job.)

Summary

In summary, the Conditionnel Passé is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is often used in conjunction with other tenses to convey various nuances in French, allowing speakers to discuss imaginary past scenarios, make polite requests, or express doubt about past events.

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