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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb canonner

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The English translation of the French verb canonner is “to bombard” or “to shell.” It is pronounced as “cah-noh-nay” in its infinitive form.

Canonner comes from the Old French word “canon,” meaning “cannon.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical action in the past.

Here are 3 examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si tu avais canoné la ville, beaucoup de dommages auraient été causés. (If you had shelled the city, a lot of damage would have been caused.)

  2. Nous aurions dû canonner les positions ennemies avant de lancer l’attaque. (We should have bombarded the enemy positions before launching the attack.)

  3. Ils auraient canoné la côte si les navires ennemis étaient arrivés. (They would have bombarded the coast if the enemy ships had arrived.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais canonné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais canonné. I would have cannoned you.
tu aurais canonné Tu aurais canonné l’ennemi. You would have cannoned the enemy.
il aurait canonné Il aurait canonné le château. He would have cannoned the castle.
elle aurait canonné Elle aurait canonné la plage. She would have cannoned the beach.
on aurait canonné On aurait canonné la ville. One would have cannoned the city.
nous aurions canonné Nous aurions canonné en mer. We would have cannoned at sea.
vous auriez canonné Vous auriez canonné depuis le bateau. You would have cannoned from the boat.
ils auraient canonné Ils auraient canonné le fort. They would have cannoned the fort.
elles auraient canonné Elles auraient canonné l’armée ennemie. They (female) would have cannoned the enemy army.

Other Conjugations for Canonner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canonner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Canonner – 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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