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Nous expédions ce conteneur par voie terrestre ou aérienne selon que le client est pressé ou non.

Nous expédions ce conteneur par voie terrestre ou aérienne selon que le client est pressé ou non.
We ship this container by land or air depending on whether the client is in a hurry or not.
From Lesson 430:Alternative conditions (selon que, suivant que)·French

Questions & Answers about Nous expédions ce conteneur par voie terrestre ou aérienne selon que le client est pressé ou non.

Why is the indicative mood (est) used after selon que? Doesn't que usually trigger the subjunctive?
Unlike many conjunctions ending in que (like bien que or pour que), selon que and suivant que describe a reality or a concrete choice between two actual options. Because this phrase deals with objective facts rather than subjectivity, emotion, or doubt, it requires the indicative mood.
What is the difference between using selon and selon que?
Selon is a preposition used directly before a noun or pronoun (e.g., selon le client means according to the client). Selon que is a conjunction used to introduce a full clause that contains a subject and a conjugated verb (e.g., selon que le client est... means depending on whether the client is...).
Could I use suivant que instead of selon que in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! Selon que and suivant que are completely interchangeable in this context. Both mean depending on whether and both require the indicative mood.
How does the phrasing par voie terrestre ou aérienne work?
In French, the standard way to talk about commercial shipping routes or modes of transport is to use par voie (by way or by route) followed by an adjective. Therefore, by land is par voie terrestre, by air is par voie aérienne, and by sea would be par voie maritime.
At the end of the sentence, could I say ou pas instead of ou non?
Yes, ou pas is grammatically correct and very common in everyday spoken French. However, ou non is slightly more formal and elegant, which perfectly fits the professional business context of shipping freight.

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