To report unverified information, French uses the present conditional. This is often called the "journalistic conditional."
While English typically adds words like "reportedly," "allegedly," or "supposedly," French simply changes the verb to the conditional mood to show that the statement is unconfirmed.
Citing Sources and Rumors
You will frequently see the conditional paired with selon (according to) to cite a source or a rumor. Notice how il y a (there is/are) becomes il y aurait (there reportedly is/are), and sont (are) becomes seraient (are reportedly).
| According to this source, there are reportedly catacombs here. | Selon cette source, il y aurait des catacombes ici. |
| According to the rumor, the catacombs are reportedly immense. | Selon la rumeur, les catacombes seraient immenses. |
Reporting Actions
You can apply this to any verb to indicate that an action or fact is alleged. For example, connaît (knows) becomes connaîtrait (reportedly knows), and contient (contains) becomes contiendrait (reportedly contains).
| An explorer reportedly knows an underground tunnel. | Un explorateur connaîtrait un tunnel souterrain. |
| This immense tunnel reportedly contains many things. | Ce tunnel immense contiendrait beaucoup de choses. |
| There was a rumor: a secret underground village reportedly exists. | Il y avait une rumeur : un village souterrain secret existerait. |
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