The Imperfect Tense of calmarse is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Ella se calmaba cuando escuchaba música. (She would calm down when she listened to music.)

Calmarse is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Calmarse (to calm down) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of calmarse is used to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past.

To calm down or relax: For example, Cuando era niño, me calmaba escuchando música. (When I was a child, I would calm down by listening to music.)

To become less intense: For example, La lluvia se calmaba poco a poco. (The rain was gradually calming down.)

To stop being angry or upset (colloquial): For example, ¡Cálmate, viejo! No es para tanto. (Calm down, dude! It’s not that serious.)

To stop worrying or stressing out (colloquial): For example, Cálmense, todo va a salir bien. (Calm down, everything will be alright.)

Examples

Examples of Calmarse in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando mi hijo era pequeño, se calmaba después de tomar su biberón. (When my son was little, he would calm down after having his bottle.)

Antes de las presentaciones importantes, me calmaba haciendo ejercicios de respiración. (Before important presentations, I would calm myself down by doing breathing exercises.)

Después de una discusión acalorada, nos calmábamos dando un paseo por el parque. (After a heated argument, we would calm down by taking a walk in the park.)

Cuando se calmaba el tráfico, podíamos avanzar más rápido. (When the traffic calmed down, we could move faster.)

Mi abuela se calmaba tomando un té de hierbas después de un día agitado. (My grandmother would calm down by having a herbal tea after a hectic day.)

Antes de tomar una decisión importante, me calmaba meditando por unos minutos. (Before making an important decision, I would calm myself down by meditating for a few minutes.)

Cuando se calmaban las aguas del río, era más seguro cruzarlo. (When the river waters calmed down, it was safer to cross.)

Después de una pelea, nos calmábamos escuchando música relajante. (After a fight, we would calm down by listening to relaxing music.)

En situaciones estresantes, me calmaba contando hasta diez. (In stressful situations, I would calm myself down by counting to ten.)

Cuando se calmaba el viento, era más fácil navegar. (When the wind calmed down, it was easier to sail.)

Después de un día ajetreado en el trabajo, me calmaba leyendo un libro. (After a hectic day at work, I would calm down by reading a book.)

Antes de una cirugía, me calmaba hablando con el médico sobre el procedimiento. (Before a surgery, I would calm myself down by talking to the doctor about the procedure.)

Cuando se calmaban los ánimos, podíamos discutir el problema con más claridad. (When tempers calmed down, we could discuss the problem more clearly.)

En momentos de ansiedad, me calmaba practicando técnicas de relajación. (In moments of anxiety, I would calm myself down by practicing relaxation techniques.)

Después de una pelea de pareja, nos calmábamos dando un paseo por la playa. (After a couple’s fight, we would calm down by taking a walk on the beach.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Calmarse (to calm down) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.