se calmer

/sə kal.me/
to calm down

Après une dispute, il a pris quelques minutes pour se calmer.

After an argument, he took a few minutes to calm down.


informal

To become calm or relaxed, especially after being upset or agitated.

Elle a respiré profondément pour se calmer avant de parler.

She took a deep breath to calm down before speaking.

Les enfants ont besoin de temps pour se calmer après l'école.

Children need time to calm down after school.

Often used reflexively to indicate the subject is the one calming themselves.

Collocations

se calmer les nerfsto calm one's nervesse calmer après une criseto calm down after a crisis

Related Phrases

calmer le jeuphrase
to calm the situation
calmer les espritsphrase
to calm people down

Pro Tip

Reflexive Usage

The reflexive form 'se calmer' emphasizes that the subject is calming themselves, not someone else.

Gold Rule

Context Matters

Use 'se calmer' when referring to personal emotional regulation, not external actions.

Word Origin

From the verb 'calmer' (to calm) with the reflexive pronoun 'se' indicating the subject is the one performing the action.

Usage Notes

Commonly used in everyday language to describe someone regaining composure after emotional distress.

Word Breakdown

se
reflexive pronoun (oneself)
pronoun
+
calmer
to calm
verb
Dictionnaire Français-Anglais