Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) 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.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “kah-noh-nay.”

The language origin of canonner comes from the Latin word “cannone,” meaning “cannon.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense that expresses an action that could have taken place before another action or event in the past.

Three simple examples of canonner in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu me canonnes avec des compliments. (I wish you had bombarded me with compliments.)

  2. Il était triste que la ville ait été canonniée pendant la guerre. (He was sad that the city had been bombed during the war.)

  3. On aurait dit que les nuages avaient été canonniés par les rayons du soleil. (It looked like the clouds had been shelled by the sun’s rays.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse canoné J’aurais été content si je eusse canoné. I would have been happy if I had shot.
tu eusses canoné J’aurais été content si tu eusses canoné. I would have been happy if you had shot.
il eût canoné J’aurais été content si il eût canoné. I would have been happy if he had shot.
elle eût canoné J’aurais été content si elle eût canoné. I would have been happy if she had shot.
on eût canoné J’aurais été content si on eût canoné. I would have been happy if one had shot.
nous eussions canoné J’aurais été content si nous eussions canoné. I would have been happy if we had shot.
vous eussiez canoné J’aurais été content si vous eussiez canoné. I would have been happy if you had shot.
ils eussent canoné J’aurais été content si ils eussent canoné. I would have been happy if they had shot.
elles eussent canoné J’aurais été content si elles eussent canoné. I would have been happy if they had shot.

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

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

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

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Canonner – About the French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, also known as the Pluperfect Subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions or states that occurred before another action in the past, and it’s used in situations where the indicative mood is in the past subjunctive or conditional mood.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, you start with the imperfect subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
For “avoir” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “avoir” (e.g., j’eusse, tu eusses, il/elle eût, nous eussions, vous eussiez, ils/elles eussent). Add the past participle of the main verb. 
For “être” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “être” (e.g., je fusse, tu fusses, il/elle fût, nous fussions, vous fussiez, ils/elles fussent). Add the past participle of the main verb.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Hypothetical Situations

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is often used to express hypothetical or unreal actions that occurred before another past action.
For example: J’aurais aimé que tu aies fini ton travail avant que je sois arrivé. (I would have liked for you to have finished your work before I arrived.) 

Reported Speech

In reported speech, you may use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait to convey what someone said or thought in the past. 
For example: Il m’a dit qu’il avait peur que je n’aie pas compris. (He told me that he was afraid that I hadn’t understood.) 

Doubt, Wishes, and Emotions

This tense can also be used to express doubt, wishes, and emotions about past actions. 
For example: Je doutais qu’il eût dit la vérité. (I doubted that he had told the truth.) 
J’aurais souhaité que tu fusses venu. (I would have wished for you to have come.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Subjunctive

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to describe past actions when the main verb is in the present subjunctive. 
For example: “Il faut que j’aie fini mon travail avant que tu partes.” (I must have finished my work before you leave.) 

Imperfect Subjunctive

It’s common to use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait with the imperfect subjunctive in complex sentences. 
For example: “Il m’avait dit qu’il fût rentré avant la fin de la journée.” (He had told me that he had returned before the end of the day.) 

Conditional

When the main verb is in the conditional mood, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to express past unreal conditions. 
For example: “Si j’avais su, j’aurais voulu que tu aies réussi.” (If I had known, I would have wanted you to have succeeded.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is a complex tense used to convey nuanced meanings in French. While its usage may seem intricate, it becomes more intuitive with practice and exposure to the language. It’s important to understand the context in which it’s used, as it often conveys subtleties of time, conditionality, and emotion in French sentences.

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

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