Question 1

Why use the conditional seraient instead of the present tense sont?

Accepted Answer

This is the "journalistic conditional" (le conditionnel de l'information non confirmée). In French, when stating a rumor, allegation, or unverified piece of news, you use the conditional tense to distance yourself from the claim. If you used sont, you would be stating it as a confirmed fact.

Question 2

I see "reportedly" in the English translation, but what is the French word for it here?

Accepted Answer

There isn't a separate word for it! In French, the idea of "reportedly" or "allegedly" is built directly into the verb by using the conditional tense (seraient). You do not need to add an extra adverb to express this doubt.

Question 3

Could I say d'après la rumeur instead of selon la rumeur?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can. Both selon and d'après mean "according to" and they are practically interchangeable in this context. Selon can sound slightly more formal, making it very common in journalism and news reports.

Question 4

Why does immenses have an "s" but no extra "e" for feminine agreement?

Accepted Answer

The adjective describes les catacombes, which is a feminine plural noun. However, the base singular form of the adjective (immense) already ends in an "e", so its spelling is the exact same for masculine and feminine. You only need to add the "s" to make it plural.

Selon la rumeur, les catacombes seraient immenses.

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