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Verb conjugation

canonner

to cannon, cannonade

Usage

A military and historical verb meaning to bombard or shell with cannon fire — canonner un fort, canonner les positions ennemies. Used almost exclusively in accounts of sieges, naval battles, or older warfare; modern reporting on war favors bombarder.

Examples
  • Les navires ennemis canonnaient le port depuis l'aube. — The enemy ships had been shelling the port since dawn.
  • La forteresse fut canonnée pendant des heures avant de se rendre. — The fortress was shelled for hours before surrendering.
  • On entendait au loin l'artillerie canonner les positions ennemies. — In the distance you could hear the artillery shelling the enemy positions.
Common mistake

Don't confuse canonner (to shell with cannon fire) with the similar-looking canoniser (to canonize a saint) — despite sharing the root canon-, they describe completely unrelated actions.

Simple tenses

Present

jecanonne
tucanonnes
il/ellecanonne
nouscanonnons
vouscanonnez
ils/ellescanonnent

Imperfect

jecanonnais
tucanonnais
il/ellecanonnait
nouscanonnions
vouscanonniez
ils/ellescanonnaient

Past historic (passé simple)

jecanonnai
tucanonnas
il/ellecanonna
nouscanonnâmes
vouscanonnâtes
ils/ellescanonnèrent

Future

jecanonnerai
tucanonneras
il/ellecanonnera
nouscanonnerons
vouscanonnerez
ils/ellescanonneront

Conditional

jecanonnerais
tucanonnerais
il/ellecanonnerait
nouscanonnerions
vouscanonneriez
ils/ellescanonneraient

Subjunctive

jecanonne
tucanonnes
il/ellecanonne
nouscanonnions
vouscanonniez
ils/ellescanonnent

Subjunctive (imperfect)

jecanonnasse
tucanonnasses
il/ellecanonnât
nouscanonnassions
vouscanonnassiez
ils/ellescanonnassent

Imperative

tucanonne
nouscanonnons
vouscanonnez

Compound tenses

Passé composé

jeai canonné
tuas canonné
il/ellea canonné
nousavons canonné
vousavez canonné
ils/ellesont canonné

Plus-que-parfait

jeavais canonné
tuavais canonné
il/elleavait canonné
nousavions canonné
vousaviez canonné
ils/ellesavaient canonné

Passé antérieur

jeeus canonné
tueus canonné
il/elleeut canonné
nouseûmes canonné
vouseûtes canonné
ils/elleseurent canonné

Futur antérieur

jeaurai canonné
tuauras canonné
il/elleaura canonné
nousaurons canonné
vousaurez canonné
ils/ellesauront canonné

Conditionnel passé

jeaurais canonné
tuaurais canonné
il/elleaurait canonné
nousaurions canonné
vousauriez canonné
ils/ellesauraient canonné

Subjonctif passé

jeaie canonné
tuaies canonné
il/elleait canonné
nousayons canonné
vousayez canonné
ils/ellesaient canonné

Subjonctif plus-que-parfait

jeeusse canonné
tueusses canonné
il/elleeût canonné
nouseussions canonné
vouseussiez canonné
ils/elleseussent canonné

Impératif passé

tuaie canonné
nousayons canonné
vousayez canonné

Other

Present participle

canonnant

Past participle

canonné

Infinitive

canonner

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Frequently asked questions

What does "canonner" mean?

"canonner" means "to cannon, cannonade".

How do you conjugate "canonner" in the present tense?

The present of "canonner" is: je canonne, tu canonnes, il/elle canonne, nous canonnons, vous canonnez, ils/elles canonnent.

What is the Passé composé of "canonner"?

The passé composé of "canonner" is: je ai canonné, tu as canonné, il/elle a canonné, nous avons canonné, vous avez canonné, ils/elles ont canonné.

What is the Imperative of "canonner"?

The imperative of "canonner" is: tu canonne, nous canonnons, vous canonnez.