calculer — French conjugation

to calculate (all meanings)

Frequency#1087Regular

Indicative

Present (Présent) Regular

Use the présent for habits, what is true now, and what is about to happen soon. A single set of endings covers what English often splits into “I speak” and “I am speaking”.

Elle parle arabe et français.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jecalculeI calculate
tucalculesyou calculate
il/ellecalculehe/she/it calculates
nouscalculonswe calculate
vouscalculezyou (pl.) calculate
ils/ellescalculentthey calculate

Simple past (Passé simple) Regular

The passé simple narrates completed past events in a literary or very formal style. In everyday conversation people use the passé composé instead, so you mostly meet this form in books and journalism.

Ils virent le roi s'approcher.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jecalculaiI calculated
tucalculasyou calculated
il/ellecalculahe/she/it calculated
nouscalculâmeswe calculated
vouscalculâtesyou (pl.) calculated
ils/ellescalculèrentthey calculated

Imperfect (Imparfait) Regular

The imparfait describes ongoing or repeated past actions and sets the background — how things were, what used to happen, weather, feelings. The passé composé, by contrast, marks single completed events.

Quand j'étais petit, j'allais souvent à la piscine.

PronounFrench
jecalculais
tucalculais
il/ellecalculait
nouscalculions
vouscalculiez
ils/ellescalculaient

Conditional (Conditionnel) Regular

The conditionnel is for polite questions and requests, “would”-type hypotheticals, and what someone said would happen. It is also the usual consequent clause in si + imparfait → conditionnel patterns.

Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?

PronounFrenchEnglish
jecalculeraisI would calculate
tucalculeraisyou would calculate
il/ellecalculeraithe/she/it would calculate
nouscalculerionswe would calculate
vouscalculeriezyou (pl.) would calculate
ils/ellescalculeraientthey would calculate

Future (Futur) Regular

The futur is for future plans and objective predictions. In speech, aller + infinitive is often clearer for the immediate future, while the simple future is common for facts further ahead or in writing.

Demain, nous dînerons chez eux.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jecalculeraiI will calculate
tucalculerasyou will calculate
il/ellecalculerahe/she/it will calculate
nouscalculeronswe will calculate
vouscalculerezyou (pl.) will calculate
ils/ellescalculerontthey will calculate

Present perfect (Passé composé) Regular

The passé composé is the main spoken past for completed, bounded actions (often with a time adverb). Use avoir with most verbs; être is required for a fixed group of motion/inchange and all pronominal verbs, with participle agreement when necessary.

Elle est venue tôt, puis elle a téléphoné.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'ai calculéI have calculated
tutu as calculéyou have calculated
il/elleil/elle a calculéhe/she/it has calculated
nousnous avons calculéwe have calculated
vousvous avez calculéyou (pl.) have calculated
ils/ellesils/elles ont calculéthey have calculated

Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait) Regular

The plus-que-parfait is the “earlier past”: one action was already over before another past moment. It answers “had already” when a story is anchored in a past time.

Déjà, il avait fini quand je suis arrivé.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'avais calculéI had calculated
tutu avais calculéyou had calculated
il/elleil/elle avait calculéhe/she/it had calculated
nousnous avions calculéwe had calculated
vousvous aviez calculéyou (pl.) had calculated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient calculéthey had calculated

Conditional perfect (Conditionnel passé) Regular

The conditionnel passé states what would have been true, plans that failed, and unreal past if-clauses (often with si + plus-que-parfait in the apodose).

J'aurais dit oui, mais c'était impossible.

PronounFrench
jej'aurais calculé
tutu aurais calculé
il/elleil/elle aurait calculé
nousnous aurions calculé
vousvous auriez calculé
ils/ellesils/elles auraient calculé

Future perfect (Futur antérieur) Regular

The futur antérieur marks an action that will be finished before a later future moment (by then I will have…). It can also suggest a conjecture about a recent past fact in formal or literary use.

D'ici samedi, j'aurai lu le rapport.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'aurai calculéI will have calculated
tutu auras calculéyou will have calculated
il/elleil/elle aura calculéhe/she/it will have calculated
nousnous aurons calculéwe will have calculated
vousvous aurez calculéyou (pl.) will have calculated
ils/ellesils/elles auront calculéthey will have calculated

Subjunctive

Present subjunctive (Subjonctif présent) Regular

The present subjunctive appears in subordinate clauses after desire, doubt, fear, need, and many impersonals, usually when the subject of the subordinate is different. Learn common triggers: il faut que, je veux que, je doute que…

Il faut qu'il parte avant midi.

PronounFrench
jecalcule
tucalcules
il/ellecalcule
nouscalculions
vouscalculiez
ils/ellescalculent

Imperfect subjunctive (Subjonctif imparfait) Regular

The imparfait du subjonctif is a literary and formal past subjunctive. In modern speech, the present subjunctive usually replaces it for the same meaning.

Bien qu'il fût fatigué, il continua.

PronounFrench
jecalculasse
tucalculasses
il/ellecalculât
nouscalculassions
vouscalculassiez
ils/ellescalculassent

Other forms

Imperative (Impératif) Regular

The imperative is for direct orders and advice to tu, nous, and vous. For many -er verbs, the tu form drops the final -s of the present (parle!); negatives use the subjunctive-like forms in practice.

Fermons la porte, s'il vous plaît !

PronounFrench
tucalcule
nouscalculons
vouscalculez