FlexiLingoIn one line
Put the source in front (
selon…·d'après…) and put the verb in the conditional. Here the conditional means "they say so, not me" — English "reportedly", but built into the verb itself.
The forms on this page
| Form | Means | Sound |
|---|---|---|
il démissionnerait | he is reportedly resigning — present or future news, unconfirmed | /il de.mi.sjɔn.ʁɛ/ |
il aurait démissionné | he has reportedly resigned — past news, unconfirmed | /il o.ʁɛ de.mi.sjɔ.ne/ |
Step by step
| Sentence | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Build the plain statement | Le maire démissionne. — the mayor is resigning | /lə mɛʁ de.mi.sjɔn/ |
| 2. Put the source in front | Selon la radio, le maire démissionne. — according to the radio, the mayor is resigning | /sə.lɔ̃ la ʁa.djo lə mɛʁ de.mi.sjɔn/ |
| 3. Make the verb conditional | Selon la radio, le maire démissionnerait. — according to the radio, the mayor is reportedly resigning | /sə.lɔ̃ la ʁa.djo lə mɛʁ de.mi.sjɔn.ʁɛ/ |
Step 2 to step 3 is the only change:
démissionne→démissionnerait. No new word was added — only the verb changed, and that alone says "I'm not confirming this".
The table — which conditional
One question: is the news about something happening now or later, or something that already happened?
| News about | Form | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| now or later | present conditional (conditionnel-present) | Le maire démissionnerait. — the mayor is reportedly resigning | /lə mɛʁ de.mi.sjɔn.ʁɛ/ |
the past, with avoir | past conditional (conditionnel-passe) | L'accident aurait fait trois blessés. — the accident reportedly left three injured | /lak.si.dɑ̃ o.ʁɛ fɛ tʁwa blɛ.se/ |
the past, with être | past conditional | Le voleur serait entré par la fenêtre. — the burglar apparently got in through the window | /lə vɔ.lœʁ sə.ʁɛ.t‿ɑ̃.tʁe paʁ la fə.nɛtʁ/ |
| the past, passive | past conditional + été | Deux personnes auraient été blessées. — two people are said to have been injured | /dø pɛʁ.sɔn o.ʁɛ.t‿e.te blɛ.se/ |
| "there is / there were" | il y aurait il y aurait eu | Il y aurait eu dix blessés. — ten people were reportedly injured | /il i o.ʁɛ.t‿y di blɛ.se/ |
The forms themselves are nothing new — they are the ordinary present and past conditional. The only new thing on this page is the meaning.
The trap: this is not "would"
English speakers map -rait to "would" — and here that gives the wrong meaning:
| French | ❌ "would" reading | ✅ what it says | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
Le maire démissionnerait. | the mayor would resign | the mayor is reportedly resigning | /lə mɛʁ de.mi.sjɔn.ʁɛ/ |
L'incendie aurait détruit trois maisons. | the fire would have destroyed three houses | the fire reportedly destroyed three houses | /lɛ̃.sɑ̃.di o.ʁɛ de.tʁɥi tʁwa mɛ.zɔ̃/ |
English keeps the verb and adds a word: "reportedly", "allegedly", "is said to". French drops the word and changes the verb:
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| The burglar apparently got in through the window. | Le voleur serait entré par la fenêtre. | /lə vɔ.lœʁ sə.ʁɛ.t‿ɑ̃.tʁe paʁ la fə.nɛtʁ/ |
| Costs have reportedly doubled. | Les coûts auraient doublé. | /le ku o.ʁɛ du.ble/ |
| Ten people are said to have been arrested, according to police. | Selon la police, dix personnes auraient été arrêtées. | /sə.lɔ̃ la pɔ.lis di pɛʁ.sɔn o.ʁɛ.t‿e.te a.ʁɛ.te/ |
The English way exists in French too:
Apparemment, le voleur est entré par la fenêtre./a.pa.ʁa.mɑ̃ lə vɔ.lœʁ ɛ.t‿ɑ̃.tʁe paʁ la fə.nɛtʁ/ — adverb + normal verb. Correct, but in newspapers and on the radio you will nearly always hear the conditional instead. So for writing you have both; for reading you must recognise the conditional.
Signals — where to expect it
| Signal | Means | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
selon | according to | /sə.lɔ̃/ |
d'après | according to · based on | /da.pʁɛ/ |
à en croire le journal | if the paper is to be believed | /a ɑ̃ kʁwaʁ lə ʒuʁ.nal/ |
de source sûre | from a reliable source | /də suʁs syʁ/ |
sous réserve de confirmation | pending confirmation | /su ʁe.zɛʁv də kɔ̃.fiʁ.ma.sjɔ̃/ |
il semblerait que | it would appear that | /il sɑ̃.blə.ʁɛ kə/ |
The source is not always in the sentence. The headline
Le ministre aurait été informé à l'avance.has noselon—auraitis enough.
The boundary — conditionals that are not reporting
One -rait verb does four jobs. Before translating, look for these things in the sentence:
| What is in the sentence? | Use | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
si | hypothesis — "if … would" | Si le maire démissionnait, la ville voterait. — if the mayor resigned, the city would vote | /si lə mɛʁ de.mi.sjɔ.nɛ la vil vɔ.tʁɛ/ |
a past dire que | future in the past — "said he would" | Il a dit qu'il démissionnerait. — he said he would resign | /i.l‿a di kil de.mi.sjɔn.ʁɛ/ |
je voudrais pourriez-vous | politeness | Je voudrais un café. — I'd like a coffee | /ʒə vu.dʁɛ.z‿œ̃ ka.fe/ |
| none of these — news, headline, a source | unconfirmed news | Le maire démissionnerait. — the mayor is reportedly resigning | /lə mɛʁ de.mi.sjɔn.ʁɛ/ |
Put rows two and four side by side:
Il a dit qu'il démissionnerait— he said it himself, and it is quoted from him.Le maire démissionneraitwith nodire— someone is saying it, and the paper is not taking responsibility.Only the second row is really English "would" — and that is exactly why the fourth row catches English readers.
If you accept the source, use the indicative:
| Meaning | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
Selon l'étude, les écrans nuisent au sommeil. | according to the study, screens harm sleep — the writer accepts it | /sə.lɔ̃ le.tyd le.z‿e.kʁɑ̃ nɥiz o sɔ.mɛj/ |
Selon l'étude, les écrans nuiraient au sommeil. | according to the study, screens may harm sleep — the writer keeps a distance | /sə.lɔ̃ le.tyd le.z‿e.kʁɑ̃ nɥi.ʁɛ o sɔ.mɛj/ |
For the exam
- Reading and listening (TCF Canada): short news items, radio reports. A question sometimes asks exactly this: is the news confirmed or not yet confirmed? The answer is in
aurait, not in any other word. - Writing, Task 3: when you quote a figure or claim from one of the two documents and do not want to present it as your own view:
| Meaning | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
D'après le premier document, la gratuité des transports aurait augmenté la fréquentation. | according to the first document, free transit has reportedly increased ridership | /da.pʁɛ lə pʁə.mje dɔ.ky.mɑ̃ la ɡʁa.tɥi.te de tʁɑ̃s.pɔʁ o.ʁɛ.t‿ɔɡ.mɑ̃.te la fʁe.kɑ̃.ta.sjɔ̃/ |
Examples
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| According to the radio, the strike is expected to last until Monday. | Selon la radio, la grève durerait jusqu'à lundi. | /sə.lɔ̃ la ʁa.djo la ɡʁɛv dyʁ.ʁɛ ʒys.ka lœ̃.di/ |
| According to the police, the burglar apparently got in through the window. | D'après la police, le voleur serait entré par la fenêtre. | /da.pʁɛ la pɔ.lis lə vɔ.lœʁ sə.ʁɛ.t‿ɑ̃.tʁe paʁ la fə.nɛtʁ/ |
| The fire reportedly destroyed three houses. | L'incendie aurait détruit trois maisons. | /lɛ̃.sɑ̃.di o.ʁɛ de.tʁɥi tʁwa mɛ.zɔ̃/ |
| According to a study, screens may harm sleep. | Selon une étude, les écrans nuiraient au sommeil. | /sə.lɔ̃ y.n‿e.tyd le.z‿e.kʁɑ̃ nɥi.ʁɛ o sɔ.mɛj/ |
| According to the paper, rents in Vancouver have reportedly risen eight percent. | D'après le journal, les loyers auraient augmenté de huit pour cent à Vancouver. | /da.pʁɛ lə ʒuʁ.nal le lwa.je o.ʁɛ.t‿ɔɡ.mɑ̃.te də ɥi puʁ sɑ̃ a vɑ̃.ku.vɛʁ/ |
| Ten people were reportedly injured. | Il y aurait eu dix blessés. | /il i o.ʁɛ.t‿y di blɛ.se/ |
| Two employees have reportedly been laid off. | Deux employés auraient été licenciés. | /dø.z‿ɑ̃.plwa.je o.ʁɛ.t‿e.te li.sɑ̃.sje/ |
| According to the city, the new bridge is expected to open in June. | Selon la ville, le nouveau pont ouvrirait en juin. | /sə.lɔ̃ la vil lə nu.vo pɔ̃ u.vʁi.ʁɛ ɑ̃ ʒɥɛ̃/ |
| The minister was allegedly told in advance. | Le ministre aurait été informé à l'avance. | /lə mi.nistʁ o.ʁɛ.t‿e.te ɛ̃.fɔʁ.me a la.vɑ̃s/ |
| The results are reportedly coming out tomorrow. | Les résultats seraient publiés demain. | /le ʁe.zyl.ta sə.ʁɛ py.bli.je də.mɛ̃/ |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ | Why |
|---|---|---|
Reading Le maire démissionnerait. as "the mayor would resign" | "the mayor is reportedly resigning" | No si, nothing imagined — this is news |
Les résultats auraient été publiés demain. | Les résultats seraient publiés demain. | Future news → present conditional |
Il y aurait trois blessés hier. | Il y aurait eu trois blessés hier. | Past news → past conditional |
Le voleur aurait entré par la fenêtre. | Le voleur serait entré par la fenêtre. | entrer takes être — the passé composé rule |
Selon moi, il aurait tort. | Selon moi, il a tort. | You accept your own opinion; the conditional distances you from someone else's source |
Si l'information serait confirmée… | Si l'information est confirmée… | No conditional after si — in the news too |
Why the conditional?
because there is a hidden "if" in the sentence
A conditional always answers an "if". In Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais the "if" is in plain sight.
News has an "if" too — it just isn't written:
(If the police are right,) the burglar got in through the window.
(
Si l'on en croit la police,)le voleur serait entré par la fenêtre.
So serait is doing what it always does: stating a result that depends on a condition. Here the condition is "the source being right".
That is why French newspapers use it: if the story turns out to be wrong, the paper never said "this happened" — it said "this happened, if the source is right".
English does the same job with "reportedly" — a word that means "on someone's report, not on my knowledge".