Expédiraient

Expédiraient is the third-person plural conditional form of the French verb "expédier." This verb translates to "to send," "to ship," "to dispatch," or "to forward" in English. The conditional tense in French, like in English, is used to express hypothetical situations, polite requests, or future actions viewed from a past perspective. Therefore, "expédiraient" literally means "they would send," "they would ship," "they would dispatch," or "they would forward."

This grammatical form is employed when discussing a scenario that depends on certain conditions. For instance, one might say, "Ils expédiraient les marchandises si le paiement était reçu" (They would ship the goods if the payment were received). In this sentence, the action of shipping is conditional upon the receipt of payment. It can also be used to soften a statement, making it sound less direct or more polite. For example, "Ils expédieraient le colis demain, si cela vous convient" (They would send the package tomorrow, if that suits you). The conditional tense here makes the statement a suggestion rather than a firm commitment.