attendues

Attendues is the feminine plural form of the French past participle attendre (to wait, to expect). In ordinary French, attendue/attendues can mean “expected” or “anticipated,” agreeing with feminine singular or feminine plural nouns. In legal French, however, attendues is most often encountered as part of a related but distinct usage with the verb attendre in the sense of “having regard to” or “considering.” The standard legal formula is attendu que (masculine singular) or attendus que (masculine plural), used to introduce premises or findings in judicial judgments. When the feminine plural form attendues appears, it accords with feminine plural nouns that are intended as premises or considerations.

Usage and function: In jurisprudence, the phrase attendu que or attendus que introduces statements of fact, grounds, or considerations upon which the court’s decision is based. Attendues serves as an encountered form of the participle that helps structure the reasoning in a judgment. The feminine plural attendues occurs when the linked subject is feminine and plural, for example with a feminine plural noun such as les conclusions attendues. In English translations of French decisions, these expressions are often rendered as “whereas” or “it is considered that,” though translators may retain attendues to preserve the original legal cadence.

Examples:

- French: Les conclusions attendues par le tribunal ont été acceptées.

- English (translation): The conclusions expected by the court were accepted.

Note: Attendues is a specialized term largely confined to French-language legal writing; in general English usage, the analogous concepts are conveyed through phrases such as “whereas,” “having regard to,” or “the considerations.”