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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb calmer

Get the L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) tense conjugation of calmer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb calmer is “to calm” or “to soothe.” The infinitive form, calmer, is pronounced “kal-may.”

The word calmer comes from the Latin word “calmare” meaning “to soothe” or “to quiet.” It entered the French language in the 12th century.

In everyday French, calmer is most often used in the L’infinitif Présent tense, which is the equivalent of the infinitive present tense in English.

Three simple examples of calmer used in the L’infinitif Présent tense are:

  1. Je veux calmer mes nerfs après une longue journée de travail. (I want to calm my nerves after a long day at work.)

  2. Nous devons calmer la situation avant qu’elle ne dégénère. (We need to calm the situation before it escalates.)

  3. Tu peux calmer ton chien en lui donnant ses jouets préférés. (You can calm your dog by giving him his favorite toys.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je calme Je calme le bébé. I calm the baby.
tu calmes Tu calmes ton ami. You calm your friend.
il calme Il calme la foule. He calms the crowd.
elle calme Elle calme le chien. She calms the dog.
on calme On calme les nerfs. We calm the nerves.
nous calmons Nous calmons la situation. We calm the situation.
vous calmez Vous calmez les enfants. You calm the children.
ils calment Ils calment la tempête. They calm the storm.
elles calment Elles calment leurs émotions. They calm their emotions.

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 

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the calmer L’infinitif Présent tense conjugation! 

Calmer – About the French L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense

BEFORE you continue…. why not take a deep dive into all the French tenses with my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
The French “l’infinitif présent” (Infinitive Present) tense is not a true verb tense in the same way that the present, past, or future tenses are. Instead, it’s the base form of a verb, and it has several important uses and interactions with other tenses.

Forming the Infinitive Present

To form the infinitive present of a verb, you typically take the unconjugated form of the verb (the form you’d find in a French dictionary) and remove the ending. For regular verbs, you remove the -er, -ir, or -re ending, and you’re left with the infinitive. For example:
   – Parler (to speak)
   – Finir (to finish)
   – Vendre (to sell)

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

As a Verb’s Dictionary Form

The most common use of the infinitive present is to represent a verb in its base form. It’s the form you would find in a dictionary or verb conjugation table.

After Modal Verbs

When you use modal verbs like “pouvoir” (can), “vouloir” (want), or “devoir” (must), the verb that follows is in its infinitive form. For example:
     – Je veux manger. (I want to eat.)
     – Il peut parler français. (He can speak French.)

As an Imperative

In informal commands, the infinitive is often used. For example:
     – Ferme la porte. (Close the door.)

In Infinitive Clauses

In complex sentences, especially after certain conjunctions, the infinitive is used to express actions that are separate from the main verb. For example:
     – J’ai besoin de manger avant de partir. (I need to eat before leaving.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The infinitive present can be used with the present tense to express ongoing actions or habitual actions. For example:
     – J’aime manger des croissants. (I like eating croissants.)

Future Tense

When combined with the future tense of “aller,” the infinitive present can express future actions. For example:
     – Je vais manger au restaurant demain. (I am going to eat at the restaurant tomorrow.)

Conditional Tense

The infinitive present is often used with the conditional to express actions that would happen in a hypothetical situation. For example:

     – Il mangerait s’il avait faim. (He would eat if he were hungry.)

Passé Composé

When forming compound tenses like “passé composé,” the auxiliary verb (être or avoir) is conjugated, and the main verb remains in its infinitive form. For example:
     – J’ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.)
     – Elle est partie. (She left.)

Imperfect Tense

The infinitive present can be combined with the imperfect tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. For example:
     – Quand j’étais enfant, j’aimais jouer. (When I was a child, I liked to play.)

Subjunctive and Conditional Moods

In some complex sentences, the infinitive can be used with the subjunctive and conditional moods, especially when expressing uncertainty, possibility, or doubt.

Summary

The infinitive present in French serves as the base form of a verb and is used in various contexts, including after modal verbs, in imperative commands, in infinitive clauses, and in combination with other tenses to convey a wide range of meanings and actions. Its flexibility makes it a fundamental part of French grammar.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb calmer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply