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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb canoniser

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The English translation of the French verb canoniser is “to canonize.” It is pronounced as “kah-noh-nee-zay” in the infinitive form.

The word “canoniser” comes from the Latin word “canonizare,” meaning “to make into a canon.” In French, it is most often used in the context of religion and refers to the act of declaring someone a saint in the Catholic Church.

In everyday French, the Passé Antérieur tense is used to talk about a completed action that happened before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Imparfait tense followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of “canoniser” used in the Passé Antérieur tense:

  1. Le pape a canonisé mère Teresa en 2016. (The pope canonized Mother Teresa in 2016.)
  2. Les saints ont été canonisés par le pape lors d’une cérémonie solennelle. (The saints were canonized by the pope during a solemn ceremony.)
  3. Après sa mort, Jeanne d’Arc a été canonisée par l’Église catholique. (After her death, Joan of Arc was canonized by the Catholic Church.)

Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of canoniser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’eusse J’eusse canonisé I had canonized
tu tu eusses Tu eusses canonisé You had canonized
il il eût Il eût canonisé He had canonized
elle elle eût Elle eût canonisé She had canonized
on on eût On eût canonisé One had canonized
nous nous eûmes Nous eûmes canonisé We had canonized
vous vous eûtes Vous eûtes canonisé You had canonized
ils ils eurent Ils eurent canonisé They had canonized
elles elles eurent Elles eurent canonisé They had canonized

Other Conjugations for Canoniser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canoniser
   

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

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

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

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

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

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canoniser (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Canoniser – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense

The French Passé Antérieur tense, often referred to as the “past anterior” in English, is a literary and formal past tense that is not commonly used in everyday spoken French. It is primarily found in written language, particularly in literature, historical texts, and formal writing. This tense is used to express actions that occurred before another action in the past, serving a similar purpose to the past perfect tense (passé composé) in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation of the Passé Antérieur

The Passé Antérieur is formed by using the third person singular of the passé simple (simple past) tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
The choice between “avoir” and “être” as the auxiliary verb depends on the main verb and its transitivity or intransitivity. Here is the basic structure:
1. For verbs that use “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’eus (I had) + past participle (of the main verb)
2. For verbs that use “être” as the auxiliary verb:
   – Je fus (I was) + past participle (of the main verb)

Common Usage Patterns

As mentioned earlier, the Passé Antérieur is primarily used in formal and literary contexts. It is rarely used in everyday spoken French, where the passé composé and imparfait are more commonly used to express past actions. Some common patterns of usage include:

Literature

The Passé Antérieur is frequently used in literature to describe past events in a succinct and formal manner.

Historical Texts

It is used in historical narratives to recount past actions and events.

Formal Writing

In formal and academic writing, the Passé Antérieur can be employed to convey events in the past with a sense of formality and precision.

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Passé Antérieur often interacts with other tenses, especially when narrating past events in a chronological order:

Passé Composé (Present Perfect)

The Passé Antérieur can be used to indicate an action that occurred before another action expressed in the passé composé. For example: “Il eut terminé son travail avant que je ne sois arrivé.” (He had finished his work before I arrived).

Imparfait (Imperfect)

The Passé Antérieur may be used in conjunction with the imparfait to convey a sequence of past actions. For instance: “Elle arriva après que nous eûmes commencé.” (She arrived after we had started).

Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)

In the context of storytelling or narration, the Passé Antérieur can be used to describe events that happened before a future action expressed in the futur antérieur. For example: “Il partira après qu’il aura fini.” (He will leave after he has finished).

Summary

Passé Antérieur is a formal past tense used in written language and literary contexts to describe actions that occurred before another action in the past. It is not commonly used in everyday spoken French where you should instead use the passé composé and imparfait for discussing past events.

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