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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cancaner

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The English translation of the French verb cancaner is “to cackle” or “to cluck.” The infinitive form, cancaner, is pronounced as “kahn-kah-nay.”

The origin of the word cancaner can be traced back to the 16th century, where it was derived from the Middle French word “cancan,” which means “to chatter.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to talk about hypothetical or imaginary actions that could have happened in the past.

Here are three examples of cancaner in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais écouté les poules, j’aurais pu entendre les coqs cancaner toute la nuit. (If I had listened to the hens, I could have heard the roosters cackling all night long.)

  2. Elle aurait aimé être là pour voir les poules cancaner quand elles ont pondu leurs œufs. (She would have liked to be there to see the hens clucking when they laid their eggs.)

  3. Si nous avions une basse-cour, nos enfants auraient pu apprendre à imiter les poules en train de cancaner. (If we had a farm, our children could have learned how to imitate hens clucking.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cancané Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais cancané. If I had more time, I would have cackled.
tu aurais cancané Tu aurais cancané plus fort. You would have cackled louder.
il aurait cancané Il aurait cancané avec ses amis. He would have cackled with his friends.
elle aurait cancané Elle aurait cancané toute la nuit. She would have cackled all night.
on aurait cancané On aurait cancané devant tout le monde. One would have cackled in front of everyone.
nous aurions cancané Nous aurions cancané en buvant du champagne. We would have cackled while drinking champagne.
vous auriez cancané Vous auriez cancané à la soirée. You would have cackled at the party.
ils auraient cancané Ils auraient cancané en secret. They would have cackled in secret.
elles auraient cancané Elles auraient cancané à voix basse. They (female) would have cackled in a hushed voice.

Other Conjugations for Cancaner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cancaner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cancaner – 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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