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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb canarder

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The English translation of the French verb canarder is “to bombard” or “to shell.” The infinitive form, canarder, is pronounced “kah-nahr-deh.”

The word canarder comes from the noun canard, which means “duck.” In the 18th century, canard was used to refer to a type of bomb that made a whistling noise when it was launched, similar to the sound of a duck. This eventually evolved into the verb canarder, which was used to describe the act of launching bombs.

In everyday French, canarder is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about a hypothetical or unrealized action that would have occurred in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Three simple examples of canarder in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu des bombes, j’aurais pu canarder l’ennemi. (If I had had bombs, I could have shelled the enemy.)
  2. Ils auraient dû canarder la ville avant l’arrivée des renforts ennemis. (They should have bombarded the city before the enemy reinforcements arrived.)
  3. Nous serions arrivés trop tard si l’ennemi avait commencé à canarder la zone. (We would have arrived too late if the enemy had started shelling the area.)

In these examples, the verb canarder is used to describe a hypothetical action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met. It is often used in military contexts, but can also be used in a more general sense to describe bombarding or shelling something.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais canardé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais canardé. I would have shot at you.
tu aurais canardé Tu aurais canardé plus vite. You would have shot faster.
il aurait canardé Il aurait canardé le cerf. He would have shot the stag.
elle aurait canardé Elle aurait canardé le lièvre. She would have shot the hare.
on aurait canardé On aurait canardé dans les airs. One would have shot in the air.
nous aurions canardé Nous aurions canardé en cachette. We would have shot in secret.
vous auriez canardé Vous auriez canardé avec précision. You would have shot accurately.
ils auraient canardé Ils auraient canardé des canards sauvages. They would have shot wild ducks.
elles auraient canardé Elles auraient canardé des lapins. They (female) would have shot rabbits.

Other Conjugations for Canarder.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canarder
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Canarder – 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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