Passé Simple (Simple 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” in reference to the act of attacking with heavy artillery or bombs. The pronunciation of the infinitive form “canarder” is [ka-naʁ-de].

The word “canarder” has its origins in the noun “canard,” which means “duck” in French. It is believed that the verb “canarder” was derived from the sound that ducks make when flying, resembling the sound of bullets or bombs falling during an attack. In everyday French, “canarder” is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe actions or events that occurred in the past.

Here are three examples of “canarder” used in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. Les forces ennemies canardèrent la ville pendant la nuit.
    (The enemy forces bombarded the city during the night.)

  2. L’armée canarda les positions adverses avec une grande précision.
    (The army shelled the enemy positions with great precision.)

  3. Pendant la guerre, les avions canardèrent les zones industrielles.
    (During the war, the planes bombed the industrial areas.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mainly used in formal or literary contexts in modern French, while the more common past tense for everyday speech is the Passé Composé or Imparfait.

Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of canarder

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je canardai J’ai canardé les ennemis. I fired at the enemies.
Tu canardas Tu canardas le canard. You shot the duck.
Il canarda Il canarda le bâtiment. He bombed the building.
Elle canarda Elle canarda la voiture. She rained bullets on the car.
On canarda On canarda la foule. One shot at the crowd.
Nous canardâmes Nous canardâmes les cibles. We fired at the targets.
Vous canardâtes Vous canardâtes le champ. You bombarded the field.
Ils canardèrent Ils canardèrent les positions ennemies. They bombarded the enemy positions.
Elles canardèrent Elles canardèrent les maisons. They (feminine) attacked the houses.

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 (You’re reading it right now!)

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

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

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

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canarder

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

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canarder

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canarder

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canarder

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Canarder – About the French Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense

The French Passé Simple, also known as the Simple Past or Preterite, is a past tense used in written French to describe completed actions that took place at a specific point in the past.
It is not commonly used in everyday spoken language, where the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense. The Passé Simple is mainly found in literature, formal writing, and historical contexts. It has a somewhat limited use in modern French, and its conjugation can be complex.  
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

The Passé Simple is formed by conjugating the verb according to its specific endings for regular and irregular verbs. The endings typically vary based on the verb group (i.e., -er, -ir, or -re). For example:
   – For regular -er verbs (e.g., manger, parler): Remove the -er ending and add appropriate endings, like -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
   – For regular -ir verbs (e.g., finir, choisir): Remove the -ir ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
   – For regular -re verbs (e.g., vendre, attendre): Remove the -re ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.

Usage

Narration

The Passé Simple is commonly used in literature to describe past events in a narrative or storytelling context.

Historical Context

It can be used in historical writing or documents to discuss events that took place in the past.
Formal Writing
In formal or academic writing, especially in essays or reports, you might encounter the Passé Simple.

Interactions with other tenses

Passé Composé

In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the go-to tense for describing completed actions in the past. The Passé Simple is not commonly used in spoken language and is often replaced by the Passé Composé.

Imparfait

While the Passé Simple focuses on completed actions in the past, the Imparfait is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. They can sometimes be used together to provide a more detailed past narrative. For example, “Il lisait un livre quand il reçut un appel.” (He was reading a book when he received a call).

Conditional and Subjunctive

The Passé Simple can also be found in the conditional and subjunctive moods in formal writing. For instance, “Il faudrait qu’il partît” (He should leave, subjunctive).

Summary

The French Passé Simple is primarily used in formal or literary contexts, and its conjugation can be quite complex. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense for describing completed actions.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb canarder. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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