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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb canner

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The English translation of the French verb “canner” is “to can” or “to preserve.” The infinitive form, “canner,” is pronounced as “kah-neh.”

The word “canner” originates from the Latin word “cannare,” meaning “to seal in a can or jar.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to talk about past actions or events that are completed and not ongoing. This tense is more commonly used in written French, particularly in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts.

Here are three simple examples of “canner” in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Jecannai mes fruits et légumes pour l’hiver. (I canned my fruits and vegetables for the winter.)
  2. Il cannatoutes les confitures hier. (He canned all the jams yesterday.)
  3. Elles cannèrent les tomates du jardin. (They canned the garden tomatoes.)

English translations:

  1. I canned my fruits and vegetables for the winter.
  2. He canned all the jams yesterday.
  3. They canned the garden tomatoes.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cannai Je cannai les fruits. I canned the fruits.
Tu cannas Tu cannas les légumes. You canned the vegetables.
Il canna Il canna la viande. He canned the meat.
Elle canna Elle canna le poisson. She canned the fish.
On canna On canna les conserves. One canned the preserves.
Nous cannâmes Nous cannâmes les confitures. We canned the jams.
Vous cannâtes Vous cannâtes les sauces. You canned the sauces.
Ils cannèrent Ils cannèrent les haricots. They canned the beans.
Elles cannèrent Elles cannèrent les soupes. They (feminine) canned the soups.

Other Conjugations for Canner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canner

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canner (You’re reading it right now!)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Canner – 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 canner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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